Sons of Fortune (55 page)

“Anything happen at the party caucus that I ought to
know about?”
Harry asked.

“Ken
Stratton won’t be running at the next election.”

“That’s
no surprise. Ellie’s been ill for some time, and she’s the only thing he loves
more than the party. But what it does
mean,
is that,
if we can hold on to the Senate, you could well be the next majority leader.”

“What
about Jack Swales? Won’t he consider it his by right?”

“In
politics, nothing is yours by right,” said Harry. “In any case, MM my bet is
that the other members wouldn’t back him. Now don’t waste any more time talking
to me, I know you’ve got to be in Washington for your meeting with Also
Brubaker. All I want to know is when you think you’ll be back.”

“First
thing tomorrow morning,” said Fletcher. “We’re only staying overnight.”

“Then
drop in on your way from the airport; I want a blow-by-blow account of why
Also
wanted to see you, and make sure you give him my
regards, because he’s the best chairman the party’s had in years.

And
ask him if he got my letter.”

“Your
letter?” said Fletcher.

“Just
ask him,” said Harry.

“I
thought he looked a lot better,” said Fletcher as he and Annie drove to the
airport.

“I
agree,”
said
Annie, “and they’ve told Martha that they
may even let him go home next week if, and only if, he promises to take things
easy.”

“He’ll
promise,”
said
Fletcher, “but just be thankful the
election’s not for another ten months.”

The
shuttle to the capital took off fifteen minutes late, but Fletcher had allowed
for that, so when they touched down, he felt confident they would still have
enough time to check into the Willard Hotel, shower, and be in Georgetown by
eight.

Their
cab pulled up outside the hotel at seven ten. The first thing Fletcher asked
the porter was how long it would take to get to Georgetown.

“Ten,
maybe fifteen minutes,” he replied.

“Then
I’d like to book a cab for seven forty-five.”

Annie
somehow managed to shower and change into a cocktail dress, while Fletcher
paced around the room looking at his watch every few moments. He opened the cab
door for his wife at 7:51.

“I
need to get to 3038
n
Street in,” he checked his
watch, “nine minutes.”

“No,
you don’t,” said Annie, “if Jenny Brubaker is anything like
me
.,
she’ll be grateful if we’re a few minutes late.”

The
cabbie wove his way in and out of the evening traffic and managed to pull up
outside the chairman’s house at two minutes past the hour. After all, he knew
who would be paying the fare.

“It’s
nice to see you again, Fletcher,” Also Brubaker said as he opened the front
door. “And
it’s
Annie, isn’t it? I don’t think we’ve
met, but of course I know about your work for the party.”

“The
party?” said Annie.

“Don’t
you sit on the Hartford school board as well as the hospital committee?”

“Yes,
I do,”
said
Annie, “but I’ve always looked on that as
working for the community.”

“Just
like your father,” said
Also
. “By the way, how is the
old bruiser?”

“We’ve
just left him,” said Fletcher. “He was looking a lot better, and sends his best
wishes.

By
the way, he wanted to know if you received his letter.”

“Yes
I did. He never gives up, does he?” added Brubaker with a smile. “Why don’t we
go through to the library and I’ll fix you both a drink. Jenny should be down
shortly.”

“How’s
your boy?”

“He’s
fine, thank you, Mr.
Goldblatz
.

His
absence turned out to be caused by an affair of the heart.”

“How
old is he?”

“Sixteen.”

“A proper age to fall in love.
Now, my son, do you have anything to confess?”

“Yes,
father, by this time next week I will be the chairman of the largest bank in
the state.”

“By
this time next week, you might not even be the chief executive of one of the
smaller banks in the state.”

“What
makes you think that?” asked Nat.

“Because
what might have turned out to be a brilliant coup could have backfired, leaving
you overextended. Your brokers must have warned you that there is no chance of
your laying your hands on fifty percent of Fairchild’s by Monday morning.”

“It’s
going to be a close-run thing,” said Nat, “and I still believe we can make it.”

“Thank
heavens neither of us is a Catholic, Mr. Cartwright, otherwise you would be
blushing, and I would be recommending a penance of three Hail
Marys
. But fear not, I see redemption for both of us.”

“Do
I need redemption, father?”

“We
both do, which is
wh.wh.why
I asked to see you. This
battle has done neither of us any favors and if it continues beyond Sunday, it
will harm both the institutions we serve, and possibly even close yours.”

Nat
wanted to protest, but he knew that
Goldblatz
was
right. “So what form does this redemption take?” he asked.

“Well,
I think I’ve come up with a better solution than three Hail
Marys
,
which may cleanse us both of our sins and might even show us a little profit.”

“I
await your instructions, father.”

“I’ve
watched your career with interest over the years, my son. You’re very bright,
extremely diligent and ferociously determined, but what I admire most about you
is that you’re straight-however much one of my legal advisors would have me
believe otherwise.”

“I’m
flattered, sir, but not overwhelmed.”

“And
neither should you be. I am a realist, and I think that if you don’t succeed
this time, you might well try again in a couple of years, and go on trying
until you do succeed. Am I right?”

“You
may well be, sir.”

“You
have been frank with me, so I shall respond in kind. In eighteen months” time I
will be sixty-five, when I wish to retire to the golf course. I would like to
hand over to my successor a thriving institution, not an ailing patient
continually returning to the hospital for more treatment. I believe you may be
the solution to my problem.”

“I
thought I was the cause.”

“All
the more reason for us to try and pull off a coup that is both bold and
imaginative.”

“I
thought that’s exactly what I was doing.”

“And
you still may, my son, but for political reasons I need the whole thing to be
your idea, which means, Mr. Cartwright, that you’re going to have to trust me.”

“It’s
taken you forty years to build your reputation, Mr.
Goldblatz
.”

I
believe you’d be willing to trade it in just months before you’re due to
retire.”

“I
too am flattered, young man, but, like you, not overwhelmed. Therefore might I
suggest that it was you who requested this meeting to put forward your proposal
that, rather than continue to fight each other, we should in fact work
together.”

“A
partnership?” said Nat.

“Call
it what you will, Mr. Cartwright, but if our two banks were to merge, no one
will have lost out, and more important, all our shareholders will benefit.”

“And
what terms are you suggesting that I should recommend to you, not to mention to
my board?”

“That
the bank be called Fairchild-Russell, and that I remain chairman for the next
eighteen months, while you are appointed my deputy.”

“But
what will happen to Tom and Julia Russell?”

“Obviously
they would both be offered a place on the board. If you become chairman in
eighteen months’ time, it would be up to you to appoint your own
deputy,
although I think you might be wise to keep Wesley
Jackson on as your chief executive.

But
as you invited him to join your board some years ago, I can’t believe you’d
find that a setback.”

“No,
I wouldn’t, but that doesn’t solve the problem of stock allocation.”

“You
currently hold ten percent of Russell’s, as does your chairman. His wife, who
incidentally I think should manage our combined property portfolios, did at one
point possess as much as four percent of the stock. But I suspect that it has
been her shares that you have been releasing onto the open market for the past
few days.”

“You
could be right, Mr.
Goldblatz
.”

“In
turnover and profits Fairchild’s is
roll.roll.roughly
five times the size of Russell’s, so I would suggest that when you put forward your
proposal, you and Mr. Russell ask for four percent and settle for three. In the
case of Mrs. Russell, I would have thought one percent would be appropriate.
All three of you will of course retain your present salaries and benefits.”

“And my staff?”

“The
status quo should remain for the first eighteen months. After that, the
decision will be yours.”

“And
you want me to approach you with this offer, Mr. Gold-
blatz
?”

“Yes,
I do.”

“Forgive
me for asking, why don’t you simply make the proposal yourself, and let my
board consider it?”

“Because our legal advisors would recommend against
it.
It seems that Mr. Elliot has only one
purpose in this takeover, and that is to destroy you.

I
also have only one purpose, and that is to maintain the integrity of the bank I
have served for over thirty years.”

“Then
why not just sack Elliot?”

“I
wanted to, the day after he sent out that infamous letter in my name, but I
couldn’t afford to admit we might have an internal disagreement only days
before we were facing a takeover. I can just imagine what the press would make
of that, not to mention the shareholders, Mr. Cartwright.”

“But
once Elliot hears the proposal has come from me,” said Nat, “he’ll immediately
advise your board against it.”

“I
agree,” said
Goldblatz
, “which is why I sent him to
Washington yesterday so that he can report directly back to me once the
Securities and Exchange Commission announces the outcome of your takeover bid
on Monday.”

“He’ll
smell a rat. He knows only too well that he doesn’t need to sit around in
Washington for four days. He could fly down on Sunday night, and still brief
you on the Commission’s decision on Monday morning.”

“Funny
you should mention that, Mr. Cartwright, because it was my secretary who
spotted that the Republicans are having their midterm get-together in
Washington ending with a dinner at the White House,” he paused, “I had to call
in more than one favor to ensure that Ralph Elliot received an invitation to
that august gathering. So I think you’ll find he’s fairly preoccupied at the
moment. I keep reading in the local press about his political ambitions. He
denies them, of course, so I assume it has to be true.”

“So
why did you employ him in the first place?”

“We’ve
always used
Belman
and Wayland in the past, Mr.
Cartwright, and until this takeover, I hadn’t come across Mr. Elliot. I blame
myself, but I am at least attempting to rectify the mistake. You see, I didn’t
have your advantage of losing to him twice in the past.”

“
Touche
,” said Nat, “so what happens next?”

“I
have enjoyed meeting with you, Mr. Cartwright, and I shall put your proposal to
my board later this afternoon. Sadly one of our members is in Washington, but I
would still hope to be able to phone you back with our reaction later this
evening.”

“I’ll
look forward to that call,” said Nat.

“Good,
and then we can meet face-to-face, and I suggest as OO quickly as possible, as
I would like an agreement signed by Friday evening subject to due diligence.”
Murray
Goldblatz
paused.

“Nat,”
he said, “yesterday you asked me to do you a favor; I would now like one in
return.”

“Yes,
of course,” said Nat.

“The
monsignor, a shrewd man, asked for a two-hundred-dollar donation for the use of
this box, and I feel now that we are partners you should pay your share. I only
mention this because it will amuse my board, and allow me to keep a reputation
among my Jewish friends of being ruthless.”

“I
shall make sure I’m not the reason you lose that reputation, father,” Nat
assured him.

Nat
slipped out of the box and quickly made his way to the south entrance, where he
saw a priest standing by the door dressed in a long black robe and
beretta
.