LITMIR.BIZ

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with respect to the fraud had, at first, puzzled her. Then, as the story unfolded in the press, it became clear that Kremenchug had bailed out of the scheme, when falsified documents and tainted soil samples extracted from the Meekathara tenement had come to light. In the days preceding the suspension of Pursuit Minerals shares, millions had changed hands. Now, it would seem, Kremenchug had decided to forgo further participation, the paper losses he would incur, enormous. For Sharon, the timing could not have been better.

      Sharon had spent most of November and early December preparing the ground for her approach to Kremenchug. Information she had gathered over the past year had led her to believe that he would be the perfect choice for the project she and the general had in mind. Sharon had finally caught up with Kremenchug in Perth within days of her arrival from Manila. Arranging an introduction had not been difficult once Sharon had alluded to the strong interest her Filipino associates had expressed in Australian and Indonesian gold prospects. They had met at his Dalkeith home in Circe Circle, Sharon’s beauty and practised charm captivating Kremenchug from the start. Their initial discussion had led to others over a number of weeks, during which Sharon laid the groundwork for Kremenchug to visit the Philippines and meet the General to discuss their proposition. She was quietly confident that he would take the bait; particularly now he had come unstuck with this latest venture in Western Australia.

      The phone rang; it was Kremenchug.

      ‘Shall I come up?’ he tried, pleased when she agreed.

      ‘Sure,’ she said, ‘I’m in 1109. I’d prefer to have this discussion away from the general public, especially as you have your charming face on most of today’s tabloids. We can have coffee and sandwiches in the room if you wish.’ Sharon checked her makeup one more time, the door chime announcing Kremenchug’s arrival as she finished touching up. She showed him in, her guest nodding approval at the junior suite’s view.

      His eyes fell to the bed. ‘Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers,’ he moved across the room and slumped into the settee, his worried face awash with the troubles of the day.

      ‘How bad is it?’ Sharon asked, sitting cross-legged on the bed, a cigarette dangling from her hand. She wanted to be certain that his involvement would not drag undue attention to her own project.

      ‘Well,’ he started to explain, ‘I’m not confident that the company will recover all of the money we paid over to the two prospectors. Anyway, it’s out of our hands now. The police will most probably lay charges against them.’

      Sharon wished there was a way of asking how much of his own capital was involved, her sources suggesting that Kremenchug rarely dipped into his own pocket which, in her mind, would mean that there would be some very unhappy partners, out for blood. ‘We had hoped that you could come to Manila before Christmas or even the New Year. How will this affect your visit?’ she indicated the newspapers spread across her bed.

      ‘I could definitely be there in January, providing this is acceptable to your party.’

      ‘Good,’ Sharon was relieved, ‘then I will make all the necessary arrangements as discussed?’

      ‘That will be fine, thanks.’ Kremenchug smiled tiredly, the look creased with signs of permanent stress. ‘You know,’ he began, ‘to be totally honest, I’m not one hundred percent relaxed about going in without a brief.’ His face serious, Kremenchug reached for a cigarette. ‘Are you in a position to reveal more?’

      Sharon had anticipated the question. She drew heavily on the cigarette, leaned back on one hand and then softly blew a cloud of smoke away from his direction, gathering her thoughts. ‘I can tell you this, Alex,’ she slipped off the eiderdown and crossed to the refrigerator, poured a glass of water, sipped this then returned to the king-sized bed. ‘This project pales by comparison to what you stand to make with us.’ She pointed at the newspapers again, looked up at the ceiling as if to exercise her neck, knowing that Kremenchug’s eyes would drop to her knee-line while she was not watching.

      ‘You intimated that funding won’t be a problem. Is it all to come out of the Philippines?’ he asked, then lighting his own cigarette.

      ‘Not all of it,’ she replied, deliberately evasive.

      ‘Will it involve public companies?’

      ‘Look, Alex,’ she suggested, ‘we agreed to leave the financial discussions until your visit. There are a few issues that need to be addressed from our side before we can reveal the offer. But, you can rest assured, your visit will not be a waste of your time.’

      ‘Your group will cover my expenses?’

      ‘Yes. And, as a sweetener, the General has instructed me to offer you twenty thousand dollars if you don’t like what you hear, and wish to walk away.’

      Kremenchug was impressed, his curiosity growing by the minute. ‘How much information will you need regarding the Indonesian gold prospects?’

      ‘Should we decide to go forward, we will need to have basic survey reports and full concession documentation. We can’t afford to become embroiled in local litigation. The prospect area is to be clean, not one that’s been worked over by any of the foreign miners. This is a prerequisite. The areas you suggested during our last meeting,’ she paused, recalling the specific location, ‘are in East Kalimantan?’

      ‘Near the Mahakam River,’ Kremenchug confirmed. ‘My senior geologist in Indonesia has completed a number of surveys within the area.’ He glanced across at the Filipino, then away again as if distracted. ‘I was thinking about taking one or two of these concessions up for myself,’ he lied.

      ‘If the areas have potential, as you say, then I don’t see any reason why our consortium can’t come to satisfactory arrangements with you.’ Sharon deliberately rubbed one leg over the other, sensuously. ‘I see that you have solid connections in Canada,’ she mentioned, en passant.

      Kremenchug ’s involvement with the Vancouver group had not been mentioned in the press. He stole a look at Sharon, something in the back of his brain warning him not to underestimate this beautiful and intelligent woman.

      ‘I’ve dabbled a little,’ he said, wondering where this was leading.

      ‘It’s preferable to Australia,’ she suggested.

      ‘For mining?’

      ‘Yes, of course!’ she laughed. ‘What did you think I meant?’

      Kremenchug snorted. ‘I’m not so sure about that.’

      ‘But, you would have to agree that it can be a more rewarding place to raise capital for mining ventures?’ And then, before he could argue, she added, ‘like Borneo Gold Corporation?’

      His face broke into a grin. She really had done her homework! ‘Sharon, I think I’m going to enjoy working with you.’

      Sharon deliberately displayed more leg as she stretched, the trouser suit accentuating her lines when she moved. ‘What would it take to gain control of BGC?’ the question asked, almost innocently.

      He blinked with mild surprise. If the Filipinos were merely after control of a second rate mining entity, why come to him? There were literally scores of listed companies that would bend over backwards to accommodate new capital, even if it did mean surrendering control. ‘Why BGC?’ he found himself asking.

      Sharon knew when to stop. ‘Just curious,’ she smiled, enjoying the intrigue. She could see that Kremenchug’s mind was working overtime. A dossier in her briefcase revealed the results of the company’s share registry search. Sharon knew that Kremenchug’s holdings were relatively insignificant based on recent market value. She was also aware, however, that the prospect of having a major player take a controlling position in BGC would revitalize interest, raising the value of his portfolio considerably. Sharon did not think too highly of Kremenchug, finding him vulnerable to close inspection. Although attractive in a middle-European sort of way, she found his rehearsed manners and other affectations

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