“That must be a comforting thought,” I said. “I understand that Mr. Masters first bought that property personally and then sold it to his corporation. Isn’t that a bit unusual?”
“It is unusual, but there’s nothing wrong with it. In the case of a man with the business acumen of Mr. Masters, it was undoubtedly an advantage.”
“How’s that?”
“He’d wander around until he found something he wanted and then he’d go in and buy it—off the street, as it were. Many times, I’m sure, if it had been known that a big corporation wanted the property, the price might well have gone up slightly.”
“I suppose so. Is that the only mortgage you hold on the property of the corporation?”
He smiled. “No, we held a mortgage on the building that was burned down. It was almost paid off, and I imagine the insuranc
