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"No," she said "Is that what this is supposed to be? An insurance payment?"

"He cashed in a policy," I said "But this is more than the cash value would have amounted to, unless my source made a mistake in the amount And Viaticom doesn't sound like any insurance company I ever heard of"

"It doesn't, does it? You knohat it sounds like? Some Silicon Valley outfit that makes software"

I said, "Maybe the insurance company has a separate unit for policy redemption"

"Maybe"

"You sound dubious"

"Well, it doesn't look like any insurance co the photocopy "They're all coned This is all filled in by hand with a ballpoint pen And it looks as though it was signed with the same pen, and by the same person"

"Viaticoton, Texas"

"Wherever that is"

"Well, I can tell you that htly "It's between Dallas and Fort Worth Where the Rangers play?"

"Oh, of course"

"See? You knew all along" She grinned "Are you going to have to fly down there? Or can you let your fingers do the walking?"

The 817 infor for Viaticom I'd have tried to wheedle the address out of her as well as the nuital recording that told, ure out how those things work, but I know better than to try reasoning with them

I wrote down the number and dialed it, and when a wo," I had no trouble believing I was talking to somebody in Texas It was all there in her voice-the boots, the big hair, the shirt with the pearl buttons

"Good et some information on your company Could you tell me-"

"One moment please," she said, and put me on hold before I could finish my sentence At least I was spared the canned music I held for a minute or two, and then a man said, "Hi, this is Gary What can I do for you?"

"My na about your company"

"Well, Mr Scudder, ould you like to know?"

"For openers," I said, "I wonder if you could tell me what it is that you do"

There was a short pause, and then he said, "Sir, nothing wouldI've learned it's not to give interviews over the phone If you want to come on over here I'll beyour notebook and your tape recorder and I'll kick back and tell you more than you maybe want to know" He chuckled "See, elcome publicity, but every phone interviee've ever done's turned into an unfortunate experience for us, so we just don't do them anymore"

"I see"

"Would it be hard for you to come on over and see us? You knohere we are?"

"A hell of a long ways from where I am," I said

"And where would that be?"

"New York"

"Is that right Well, I wouldn't have said you sounded like a Texan, but I know you reporters al the other day, she was born in Chicago and worked on a paper in Oregon before she found her way to the Star-Telegram You with one of the New York papers yourself?"

"No, I'm not"

"Business paper? Not the Wall Street Journal?"

Ifor But it seemed to me a more direct approach was called for