‘Who can that possibly be?’ whispered Annie as he helped her from the car.
‘I’ve no idea, but...’
‘How nice to see you, Fletcher,’ said the professor, who was standing at the front door. ‘Good of you to come,’ he added. It would have been damn stupid of me not to, Fletcher wanted to reply. ‘And you too, Mrs Davenport, of course I remember you well, because for a couple of weeks I sat just two rows behind you in court.’
Annie smiled. ‘I was a little slimmer then.’
‘But no more beautiful,’ said Abrahams. ‘May I ask when the baby is due?’
‘In ten weeks, sir.’
‘Please call me Karl,’ said the professor. ‘It makes me feel so much younger when an undergraduate from Vassar calls me by my first name. A privilege I might add, that I shall not be extending to your husband for at least another year.’ He winked as he put an arm round Annie’s shoulder. ‘Come on in because there’s someone I want you both to meet.’
Fletcher and Annie followed the professor into the living room, where they found a dozen guests already deep in conversation. It looked as if they were the last to arrive.
‘Mr Vice-President, I should like to introduce Annie Davenport.’
‘Good evening, Mr Vice-President.’
‘Hi, Annie,’ said Spiro Agnew thrusting out his hand, ‘I’m told you’ve married a very bright guy.’
Karl whispered loudly, ‘Try not to forget, Annie, that politicians have a tendency to exaggerate, because they are always hoping for your vote.’
‘I know, Karl, my father is a politician.’
‘Is that right?’ said Agnew.
‘No, left, sir,’ she replied with a smile, ‘he’s the majority leader in the Connecticut state senate.’
‘Are there no Republicans among us this evening?’
‘And this, Mr Vice-President, is Annie’s husband, Fletcher Davenport.’
‘Hi, Fletcher, is your father also a Democrat?’
‘No, sir, he’s a card-carrying Republican.’
‘Great, so at least we’ve got two votes wrapped up in your household.’
‘No sir, my mother wouldn’t allow you across the threshold.’
The vice-president burst out laughing. ‘I don’t know what that does for your reputation, Karl.’
‘I shall continue to remain neutral, Spiro, as I have no politics. However, may I leave Annie with you, sir, as there’s someone else I want Fletcher to meet.’
Fletcher was puzzled as he had assumed it was the vice-president to whom the professor must have been referring in his letter, but he dutifully followed his host to join a group of men standing by a blazing fire on the far side of the room.
‘Bill, this is Fletcher Davenport, Fletcher, this is Bill Alexander of Alexander...’
‘... Dupont and Bell,’ completed Fletcher as he shook hands with the senior partner of one of New York’s most prestigious law firms.
‘I’ve been keen to make your acquaintance for some time, Fletcher,’ said Bill Alexander. ‘You have managed something I failed to achieve in thirty years.’
‘And what was that, sir?’
‘Getting Karl to appear as second chair in one of my cases — how did you manage it?’
Both men waited to hear his reply. ‘I didn’t have a lot of choice, sir. He forced himself on me in a most unprofessional manner, but then you must realize he was desperate. No one has offered him any real work since 1938.’ Both men laughed.
‘But I’m bound to ask if he was worth his fee, which must have been handsome, remembering you kept that woman out of jail?’
‘It certainly was,’ said Abrahams, before his young guest could reply. He placed a hand on the bookshelf behind Bill Alexander and removed a hardback copy of The Trials of Clarence Darrow. Mr Alexander studied the book. ‘I have one myself, of course,’ said Alexander.
‘And so did I,’ said Abrahams. Fletcher looked disappointed. ‘But not a signed first edition with a dust jacket in perfect condition. They are indeed a collector’s item.’
Fletcher thought about his mother, and her invaluable advice; ‘Try to choose something he’ll treasure, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.’
Nat went round the circle of eight men and six women who made up his team, asking each of them to give a brief biography for the rest of the group. He then allocated their particular responsibilities in the run-up to the election. Nat could only admire Su Ling’s commitment, because following Tom’s off-stage advice, she had selected a remarkable cross-section of students, most of whom had obviously wanted Nat to stand for some time.
‘OK, let’s start with up-dates,’ said Nat.
Joe Stein rose from his place. ‘Because the candidate has made it clear that no single contribution can exceed one dollar, I have increased the number in the fund-raising team so we can approach as many of the students as possible. That group currently meets once a week, usually on a Monday. It would be helpful if the candidate was able to address them some time.’
‘Would next Monday suit you?’ asked Nat.
‘Fine by me,’ said Joe. ‘To date, we’ve raised $307, most of which was collected after your speech at Russell Hall. Because the room was so packed many of them were convinced that they were backing the winner.’
‘Thanks, Joe,’ said Nat. ‘Next: what’s the opposition up to? Tim?’
‘My name’s Tim Ulrich, and my job is to cover the opposition’s campaign, and make sure we know what they’re up to the whole time. We have at least two people taking notes whenever Elliot opens his mouth. He’s made so many promises during the past few days, that if he tried to keep them all, the university would be bankrupt by this time next year.’
‘Now how about groups. Ray?’
‘Groups fall into three categories, ethnic, religious and club, so I have three deputy leaders to cover each one. There is of course a considerable amount of over-lapping, for example, Italians and Catholics.’
‘Sex?’ suggested someone.
‘No,’ said Ray, ‘we found sex to be universal, and therefore couldn’t group it, but opera, food, fashion are examples of where the over-lapping came for Italians — but we’re on top of it. Mario’s even offering free coffee to those customers who promise to vote Cartwright.’
‘Be careful. Elliot will pick that up as an election expense,’ said Joe. ‘Don’t let’s lose on a technicality.’
‘Agreed,’ said Nat. ‘Sports?’
Jack Roberts, the basketball captain, didn’t need to introduce himself. ‘Track and field is well covered by Nat’s personal involvement, especially after his victory in the final cross-country meet against Cornell. I’m covering the baseball team as well as basketball. Elliot already has football sewn up, but the surprise is women’s lacrosse — that club has over three hundred members.’
‘I’ve got a girlfriend on the second team,’ said Tim.
‘I thought you were homosexual?’ said Chris. Some of them laughed.
‘Who is covering the gay vote?’ asked Nat.
No one spoke. ‘If anyone admits to being openly gay, find a place for them on the team, and no more snide remarks.’
Chris nodded his agreement. ‘Sorry, Nat.’
‘Finally, polls and statistics, Su Ling.’
‘My name is Su Ling. There are 9,628 students registered — 5,517 men, 4,111 women. A very amateur poll conducted on campus last Saturday morning showed Elliot had 611 votes and Nat 541, but don’t forget Elliot’s had a head start on us, because he’s been campaigning for over a year, and his posters are already displayed everywhere. Ours will be up by Friday.’
‘And torn down by Saturday.’
‘Then we replace them immediately,’ said Joe, ‘without resorting to the same tactics. Sorry, Su Ling.’