Nightwork

'What investment?'

'At the party last night, we had a distinguished guest.' He chuckled reminiscently. 'Priscilla Dean.'

Oh, my God,' I said. A good part of the abuse heaped on our movie had been directed at the feminine lead. Her photograph, in the nude and in the most provocative positions, had appeared in two nationally circulated magazines. Crowds followed her in the streets. She had been booed by a section of the studio audience when she appeared on television. It had added to the receipts of the movie, but I was doubtful of what it would do for Quinn's reputation. 'Don't tell me,' I said, that you invited her here tonight.'

'Of course,' Fabian said calmly. 'We'll be in all the papers. Don't worry, Gentle Heart. I took her aside and told her that her - ah - her connection to us must remain a closely guarded secret. She swore by the head of her mother. Dora,' he said, 'you realize that anything we say here is never to be repeated anywhere.'

'Of course, Mr Fabian.' She looked puzzled. 'I really don't understand. Who is Priscilla Dean?'

'A low woman.' Fabian said. 'I'm glad to see that you don't go to the movies or read filthy magazines.'

We finished the bottle of champagne without any more toasts.

* * *

Henry was waiting for me when I got to the restaurant a little after twelve. He was not alone. Seated next to him on the banquette was a very pretty young woman with long auburn hair. He stood up as I came over to the table and shook my hand warmly. He was not wearing glasses, his teeth were capped and even, he was tanned and healthy-looking and had put on weight. He had dyed his hair and he could have passed for a man of thirty. 'Doug,' he said, 'I want you to meet my fiancée. Madeleine, my brother.'

I shook hands with the lady, choking back questions. 'Hank has told me so so much about you,' Madeleine said. She had a low, pleasant voice.

I sat down, facing them. I noticed that there were no drinks on the table. 'Madeleine has never been out here,'

Henry said, 'and she thought she'd like to take a look.'

'I really wanted to meet you,' she said, staring directly at me. She had big gray eyes that I guessed could be blue in some lights. She did not look like a woman who was engaged to a man who was reputed in some quarters to be impotent.

'This calls for a drink. Waiter...' I called.

'Not for us. thanks,' Henry said. 'I'm off the stuff.' He sounded slightly defiant, as though challenging me to comment. I said nothing.

'And I've never been on it,' Madeleine said.

'In that case, no drinks,' I said to the waiter.

'Shall we order?' Henry said. 'I'm afraid we're pressed for time.'

Madeleine stood up and Henry and I stood up with her. "I won't be having lunch with you gentlemen,' she said. 'I know you have a lot to talk over. I'll take a walk and look around this pretty little town and come back and join you for coffee.'

'Don't get lost,' Henry said.

She laughed. 'Not a chance,' she said.

Henry's face as he watched her walk toward the door was curiously intense. She had slender legs, a good figure, and her walk was ladylike but sensual. Henry seemed to be holding his breath, as though he had momentarily forgotten to breathe.

'Holy man,' I said, a» the door closed behind her, 'what is all this?'

'Isn't she something?' he said, as he sat down.

'She's a lovely girl,' I said with conviction. I didn't say it to natter either him or her. 'Now, spill it.'

'I'm getting a divorce.'

I nodded. 'It's about time, I guess.'

'More than about time.'

'Where are your glasses?' I asked.

He laughed. 'Contact lenses,' he said. "That friend of yours, Fabian, sure sent me to the right man. Give him iny regards when you see him.'

'You can do that yourself. I just left him.'

'I'd love to. But I have to be back in New York by four.'

'What were you doing in New York this morning?' Somehow, it had never occurred to me that it was possible for my brother to escape Scranton.

'I live there,' Henry said. 'Madeleine has an apartment there. And the business moved up to Orangeburg. That's just about thirty minutes from the city.'

The waiter had come back by now with two glasses of water. Henry ordered shrimp cocktail and a steak. His appetite, as well as his appearance, had improved.

'I appreciate your coming all the way out here to see me, Hank,' I said, 'but what was the hurry? Why did it have to be today?'

'The lawyers want to have a handshake on the deal this afternoon,' he said. 'We've been working on it for three months and they've finally got everything together and they don't want to give the other side time to come up with more objections. You know how lawyers are.'

'Not really,' I said. 'What deal?'

'I didn't want to bother you with it until it was definite,' he said. 'I hope y ou don't mind.'

'I don't mind. Now if you'll begin at the beginning...' 'I told you the business looked promising...' 'Yes.' Guiltily, I remembered that I had considered the word 'promising' in his mouth as a synonym for failure.

'Well, it turned out to be a lot better than that.' He was silent as the waiter put the shrimp cocktail and my salad in front of us. When the waiter had left, he said, 'Better than any of us ever dreamed.' He dug heartily into the cocktail. 'We had to expand almost immediately. We have more than a hundred people working for us in the plant right now. The stock's not on any of the boards yet, but it's gone way up in value. We've had feelers from a half-dozen companies who want to buy us out. The biggest offer is from Northern Industries. It's a huge conglomerate. You must have heard of them....'

'No,' I said, 'I'm afraid I haven't.'

He looked at me disapprovingly, like a teacher at a pupil who neglected his homework in school. 'Anyway, they're huge,' he said. 'Take my word for it. They're the people who're ready to give us the go sign today. They're ready to offer us - our company, that is - a half million dollars.' He sat back and let this sink in. 'Does the figure grab you?'

'It grabs me,' I said.

'We should have the money within a couple of months,' Henry said, resuming his meal. 'What's more, we - the two boys who came up with the idea and myself - retain running control of the business for the next five years - now, listen to this - at three times the salaries we've been paying ourselves, plus stock options. You'd be in on the options, of course, along with me...."

I wished Fabian was there at that lunch. It was the sort of thing he would wallow in.

The waiter brought Henry his steak and he began to wolf it down hungrily, eating a baked potato and a roll, both heavily buttered, along with it. Before long he would have to watch his diet. 'Figure it out, Doug,' he said, through a mouthful of food, 'you put in twenty-five thousand. Our third of the stock will bring us thirty-three percent of half a million. That's one hundred and sixty-six thousand. Your two-thirds of that...'

'I can do the arithmetic,' I said.

'That's without taking into account the options,' Henry said, continuing eating. Either the hot food or the chanting of enormous figures had made his face flush and he was sweating. 'Even with today's inflation and all that crap...'

I nodded. 'It's a nice bundle.'

'I promised you you'd never regret it, didn't I?' he said harshly.

'So you did.'

'No more other people's money,' he said. He stopped eating and put his knife and fork down. He looked at me soberly. His eyes, through the contact lenses, were deep and clear. The little red furrows on the side of his nose had disappeared. 'You saved me from drowning, Doug,' he said in a low voice. 'I can never thank you enough and I won't try.'

'Don't try,' I said.

'Are you all right?' he asked. 'I mean - well - about everything?'

'Couldn't be better.'

'You look good, kid, you really do.'

'And so do you,' I said.