The Dream Merchants (61 page)

Peter’s voice was puzzled again. “I don’t understand that.”

“I don’t either,” Mark said quickly, “but that plus the way he’s been acting made me think I ought to call you.” He hesitated a moment. Might as well go the whole hog, he thought. “Don’t forget what we’re up against, Pa,” he added meaningly. “And when you scratch ’em deep enough, there isn’t a one of them that really likes us. They’re all the same.”

Peter’s voice was doubtful. “Johnny isn’t like that,” he said.

Mark smiled to himself as he heard the doubt in his father’s voice. “I’m not saying he is, Pa, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

Peter’s voice was still unsure. “That’s right, Mark,” he said slowly. “We got to be careful.”

“That’s why I called you,” Mark said. “I wanted your opinion on it.”

Peter’s voice was hesitant. “You go ahead with your work,” he said. “We’ll talk about it again when I get back.”

“All right, Pa.” Mark’s voice was very deferential. “How are you feeling?” he asked, suddenly changing the subject.

“Fine,” Peter answered, his voice belying his words. Mark could tell that he was still thinking about what he had just heard.

“That’s good, Pa,” he said. “Take care of yourself.”

“I will,” his father answered absently.

“Good-by, Pa,” Mark said. He heard his father’s reply and then hung up the phone. He lit another cigarette and sat there motionlessly for a minute. Then he got out of his seat and walked to the window and looked out.

In the dark he could see Johnny and Doris walking up the path to the house hand in hand. He smiled again to himself. He’d take care of Johnny. The smile faded from his lips. And Doris too.

7

Vittorio Guido slowly lumbered to his feet. He was a big man and moved heavily. He held his hand out, unsmiling. “Hello, Johnny,” he said with an attempt at geniality that merely served to emphasize the lack of warmth in his voice.

Johnny took his hand and shook it. “Vic, how are you?” he asked.

Vittorio nodded his head. “Good,” he said slowly.

“And Al?” Johnny asked.

Vittorio looked at him. He wondered why Johnny had come to his office. He knew it wasn’t a social call, they didn’t like each other that much. “Al’s all right considering his age,” he said portentously. “The doc wants him to take it easy and stay on the ranch.” He picked up a box of cigars on the desk and offered it to Johnny. Johnny shook his head. He took one from the box. “Sit down, Johnny,” he said, lighting up. He watched Johnny.

Johnny remained standing. Vic didn’t like him. He knew it. If only Al were here, things would be different. There would be a warmth in the air that was lacking now. Slowly he sat down opposite Vic.

The cigar was exuding small clouds of smoke. A smile crossed Vic’s face. “What’s on your mind, Johnny?” he asked. Almost as quickly as the words passed his lips, he wished he hadn’t asked them. He had wanted to make Johnny come to him, but his curiosity had got the better of him.

“I need money, Vic,” Johnny said reluctantly. He didn’t want to talk to Vic about it either, but he had no choice.

Vic leaned back in his chair and half-closed his eyes. He studied Johnny. There was a faint veiled contempt behind the half-closed eyelids. These picture people were all alike. They couldn’t manage their own money. It wasn’t that they didn’t make enough either. No matter how much they made, sooner or later they would come to him. “How much?” he asked.

Johnny looked at him. The sum came reluctantly to his lips. He could see what Vic was thinking. “A million dollars,” he said.

Vic didn’t answer. He sat there quietly thinking. He blew some smoke through pursed lips and regarded it satisfactorily. He was right. Johnny was no better than the rest, no matter what Al said about him. At last he looked at Johnny. “What do you need the money for?” he asked.

Johnny shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Vic didn’t make it easy to talk to him. “I want to buy a half interest in a picture we’re making out there,
United We Stand
.”

Vic’s eyes were still half-closed. He had heard about that picture. Mark Kessler’s folly, they were calling it in Hollywood. It had been rumored that the picture would cost in excess of two million dollars. Suddenly he wondered why Johnny wanted to buy half of it. From what he had heard, it was a stiff. Besides, his accountant’s mind told him, Magnum couldn’t even hope to break even on a two-million-dollar picture. Their grosses weren’t big enough. His voice was expressionless. “You know our policy on pictures like those, Johnny,” he said quietly. “Magnum owes us two million dollars and we can’t make cross-loans against their pictures.”

“Crap!” Johnny thought angrily. Vic could do whatever he wanted. He just didn’t want to lend him the money. “Is there any other way I could get the money, then?” he asked, his voice revealing none of his inner thoughts.

Vic looked at him with new interest. Something really important must be going on out at Magnum if Johnny persisted in his attempt to get money. “Have you anything else to offer as collateral?” he asked cautiously.

Johnny hesitated. He didn’t want to do it, but he saw no other way out. “How about my ten-percent stock interest in the company?” he suggested.

Vic’s pulses suddenly began to race strangely. Ownership was the one thing these people did not hock. They would trade stars, directors, contracts. Some of them he knew would even hock their wives if they had to, but never their proprietary rights. Johnny must be in a desperate situation to come to this. Johnny’s interest in Magnum was worth a million dollars at current market values. It was good security for a loan of seventy-five percent of its value. “I couldn’t make you a long-term loan on that, Johnny,” he said carefully. “The market is too erratic. But I could give you three quarters of its value for a three-month note.”

Johnny looked at him. Seven hundred and fifty thousand was better than nothing. Besides, if things went right he would have a chance of getting the money back by that time. The air rushed out of his lungs suddenly. He had unconsciously been holding his breath while he thought. “All right, Vic,” he agreed. “How soon can I get the money?”

Vic smiled at him. “As soon as you deliver the stock to us here,” he answered.

Johnny got out of his chair and stood looking down at him. “You’ll have the stock here tomorrow,” he said.

Vic rose to his feet. “Good,” he nodded. “Then it’s settled.” He held out his hand.

Johnny shook it. “Thanks, Vic,” he said expressionlessly.

Vic smiled at him. “Glad to be of help, Johnny.”

Johnny’s eyes glanced at him quickly. Vic’s face was imperturbable. “So long, Vic,” he said, turning and walking to the door.

“So long, Johnny,” Vic called after him. A smile of satisfaction crossed his face as he watched Johnny go out the door. He looked down at his desk for a moment, frowning in thought. He would have to find out what was happening over at Magnum.

He walked over to the window that overlooked the main floor of the bank. Johnny was making his way through the crowds to the entrance. He disappeared through it and Vic went over to the other window, which looked out on the street.

Johnny was getting into an automobile that had been parked outside the door. It was a convertible coupe and the top was down. There was a girl sitting inside it. She had dark hair. Vic caught a glimpse of her face as she turned toward Johnny when he got into the car. It was Doris Kessler. He watched the car turn into the traffic and out of sight around the corner.

He went back to his desk and sat down heavily. The smile of satisfaction came back to his lips. Maybe Santos wouldn’t think so much of Johnny when he told him of what had happened.

***

Mark sat behind his desk. A resentment was burning inside him. Resentment toward Johnny, toward Doris, toward what they were saying. They were only trying to help him, they had said. Baloney! They just wanted to get him under their thumb. But an inner voice kept telling him they were right. He had gone too far out on the limb with that one picture.

Maybe he had, but when the picture was finished he would make them all look sick. They would see then who had been right. He looked up at Johnny. “Yes, Johnny,” he said, inwardly ashamed of himself for caviling at him. “I understand.”

Johnny looked down at him, his face set in hard frozen lines. His eyes were cold as ice. “Make sure that you do,” he said in clipped, emphatic tones. “I’m not doing this for your sake alone. Your father’s heart would break if he ever found out what had happened. Now, here’s what we tell him when he gets back. We have to agree on the story.”

Mark didn’t answer. He continued to look sullenly at Johnny.

“We’ll tell him that I liked the picture so much I put up half the dough for it. It ran a little over budget and I agreed to split the difference with you and gave you first claim on it for that much. After that I collect even-Steve with you until the cost comes back.” He looked questioningly at Doris. “Does that sound all right to you?” he asked.

She nodded. “It sounds all right.”

Mark looked up at him. He could barely repress a smile. The damn fool was playing right into his hands. With that story he would have no trouble in convincing his father that Johnny had caused all the trouble.

8

The snow falling outside the window had covered the city with a white blanket that already was beginning to show signs of stain as the traffic in the streets churned it into a sloppy black. Johnny turned back from the window as Peter spoke.

“I can’t understand why we haven’t received any reply to our cable to Danvere yet,” he said worriedly.

Johnny looked at his watch. “There’s not much time left before the board meeting,” he said.

Peter nodded. “I wanted the answer before the meeting started,” he told Johnny. He shook his head. “I can’t understand why he didn’t advance us the money like he promised.”

Johnny looked at him. The deal with Danvere had looked like a good thing at the time Peter made it. Peter had been optimistic. The air had been filled with promises. But since that time there had been nothing but trouble. Mark had loused up their production schedule. Only two pictures of the six that had been promised were ready and they were nothing to talk about.
United We Stand
was still a headache after eating up over two million dollars and it looked as though it would take a few hundred thousand more to complete it.

Business had been slow in addition to all that, and their bank balance had dwindled. The money that Peter had loaned the company under his agreement with Danvere had almost completely disappeared even with the additional money that Johnny had advanced. Now Peter had cabled Danvere asking him for the money that he had promised to advance them. More than four months had gone by and the money had not been forthcoming.

Johnny looked at his watch again and then back at Peter. “I guess the reply won’t come before the meeting,” he said. “We might as well get started now.”

“Tell Janey to call me if the cable comes in while we’re at the meeting,” Peter said, taking his hat and coat from the rack.