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I did not succeed in finding a backer for you and had given up all hope when you ca I wonder if you remember that day Only thirty minutes before your appoint to put up the necessary reat confidence in you personally His only stipulation was, as I advised you at the ti anonymous because of a potential conflict between his professional and private interests The terain eventual control of the Richenerous and you rightly took full advantage of thehted when you found it possible, through your own diligence, to repay his original investment

I lost contact with you both after 1951, but after I retired fro story in the newspapers concerning your backer, which prompted me to write this letter, in case I died before either of you

I write not to prove ood intentions in this whole affair, but so that you should not continue to live under the illusion that your backer and benefactor was Mr David Maxton of the Stevens Hotel Mr Maxton was a great admirer of yours, but he never approached the bank in that capacity The gentleht and personal generosity was William Lowell Kane, the chaired Mr Kane to inform you of his personal involvement, but he refused to break the clause in his trust deed that stipulated that no benefactor should be privy to the investments of the family trust After you had paid off the loan and he later learned of Henry Osborne’s personal involvement with the Baron Group he became even more adamant that you should never be informed

I have left instructions that this letter is to be destroyed if you die before Mr Kane In those circu your total lack of knowledge of his personal generosity

Whichever one of you receives a letter froe to have served you both

As ever, your faithful servant, Curtis Fenton

Abel picked up the phone by the side of his bed Tind George for et dressed!

43

William Lowell Kane’s funeral ell attended Richard and Florentyna stood on one side of Kate; Virginia and Lucy were on the other Grandmother Kane would have approved of the turn - out Three senators, five congress banks’ chairmen, and the publisher of the Wall Street journal were all there Jake Thomas and every director of the Lester’s board was also present, their heads bowed in prayer to the God in whom William had never really believed

No one noticed two old , tl - ieir heads also bowed, looking as if they were not attached to the main party

They had arrived a few minutes late and left quickly at the end of the service Florentyna thought she recognised the limp as the shorter old man hurried away She told Richard They didn’t mention their suspicion to Kate Kane

A few days later, the taller of the two old men went to see Florentyna in her shop on Fifth Avenue He had heard she was returning to San Francisco and needed to seek her help before she left She listened carefully to what he had to say and agreed to his request with joy