‘Can I have the front door keys?’ asked Nat.
‘Why?’ asked Mr Russell.
‘Because ten o’clock is a little too late for the staff of a progressive bank to be opening.’
As Tom drove them back to New York, he and Nat set about dividing their responsibilities.
‘Dad was touched that you turned down Chase to join us,’ said Tom.
‘You made exactly the same sacrifice when you left the Bank of America.’
‘Yes, but the old man has always assumed that I’d take over from him once he reached his sixty-fifth birthday, and I was just about to warn him that I wasn’t willing to do so.’
‘Why not?’ enquired Nat.
‘I don’t have the vision or ideas that are required to rescue the bank, but you do.’
‘Rescue?’ said Nat.
‘Yes, don’t let’s kid ourselves. You’ve studied the balance sheet, so you know only too well that we’re just about clearing enough to allow my parents to maintain their standard of living. But the profits haven’t risen for some years; the truth is that the bank needs your particular skills more than it requires an efficient packhorse like me. So it’s important to settle one thing before it ever becomes an issue — in banking terms I intend to report to you as chief executive.’
‘But it will still be necessary for you to become chairman once your father retires.’
‘Why?’ asked Tom. ‘When you’ll obviously be making all the strategic decisions?’
‘Because the bank bears your name, and that still matters in a town like Hartford. It’s equally important that the customers never find out what the chief executive is up to behind the scenes.’
‘I’ll go along with that on one condition,’ said Tom, ‘that all salaries, bonuses and any other financial considerations are allocated on an equal basis.’
‘That’s very generous of you,’ said Nat.
‘No, it’s not,’ said Tom. ‘Shrewd perhaps, but not generous, because fifty per cent of you will bring in a far higher return than one hundred per cent of me.’
‘Don’t forget that I’ve just lost Morgan’s a fortune,’ said Nat.
‘And no doubt learnt from the experience.’
‘Just as we did when we were up against Ralph Elliot.’
‘Now there’s a name from the past. Any idea what he’s up to?’ asked Tom as he turned on to Route 95.
‘The last thing I heard was that after Stanford he’d become a hot-shot lawyer in New York.’
‘I wouldn’t want to be one of his clients,’ said Tom.
‘Or go up against him for that matter,’ said Nat.
‘Well, at least that’s something we don’t have to worry about.’
Nat looked out of the grimy window as they travelled through Queens. ‘Don’t be too sure, Tom, because if anything were to go wrong, he’ll want to represent the other side.’
They sat in a circle around his bed, chatting about anything and everything except what was on their minds. The one exception was Lucy, who remained firmly in the middle of the bed and treated grandpa as if he was a rocking horse. Joanna’s children were more restrained. Fletcher couldn’t believe how quickly Harry Junior was growing.
‘Now before I get too tired,’ said Harry, ‘I need to have a private word with Fletcher.’
Martha shepherded the family out of the room, clearly aware of what her husband wanted to discuss with his son-in-law.
‘I’ll see you back at the house later,’ said Annie, as she dragged a reluctant Lucy away.
‘And then we should be starting back for Ridgewood,’ Fletcher reminded her. ‘I can’t afford to be late for work tomorrow.’ Annie nodded as she closed the door,
Fletcher drew up a chair and sat by the senator’s side. He didn’t bother with any Smalltalk, as his father-in-law was looking tired.
‘I’ve given a great deal of thought to what I’m about to say,’ said the senator, ‘and the only other person I’ve discussed it with is Martha, and she is in complete agreement with me. And like so many things over the past thirty years, I can’t be sure if it wasn’t her idea in the first place.’ Fletcher smiled. How like Annie, he thought, as he waited for the senator to continue. ‘I’ve promised Martha that I won’t run for re-election.’ The senator paused. ‘I see you’re not putting up any protest, so I must assume that you agree with my wife and daughter on this subject.’
‘Annie would prefer you to live to an old age, rather than die making a speech in the Senate Chamber, however important,’ said Fletcher, ‘and I agree with her.’
‘I know they’re right, Fletcher, but by God I’ll miss it.’
‘And they will miss you, sir, as you can see from the flowers and cards already in this room. By this time tomorrow, they’ll have filled every other room on this floor and be spilling out on to the pavement.’ The senator ignored the compliment, clearly not wishing to be diverted from his course.
‘When Jimmy was born, I had the crazy notion that one day he would take my place, perhaps even go on to Washington and represent the state. But it wasn’t long before I realized that was never going to be a possibility. I couldn’t be more proud of him, but he just isn’t cut out for public office.’
‘He made a damn fine job of getting me elected as president,’ said Fletcher. ‘Twice.’
‘He did indeed,’ said Harry, ‘but Jimmy should always be in the engine room, because he isn’t destined to be the driver.’ He paused again. ‘But then some twelve years ago I met a young man at the Hotchkiss-Taft football game, who I knew couldn’t wait to be the driver. A meeting incidentally, that I shall never forget.’
‘Nor me, sir,’ said Fletcher.
‘As the years passed, I watched that boy grow into a fine young man, and I’m proud he’s now my son-in-law and father of my granddaughter. And before I grow too maudlin, Fletcher, I think I ought to come to the point in case one of us falls asleep.’ Fletcher laughed.
‘Pretty soon I shall have to let it be known that I will not be running for re-election to the Senate.’ He raised his head and looked directly at Fletcher. ‘I would, at the same time, like to say how proud I am to announce that my son-in-law, Fletcher Davenport, has agreed to run in my place.’
28
It didn’t take six months for Nat to discover why Russell’s Bank had failed to increase its profits in over a decade. Almost every modern banking tenet had been ignored. Russell’s still lived in an age of written ledgers, personalized accounts and a sincerely held belief that the computer was more likely to make mistakes than a human being, and was therefore a waste of the bank’s time and money. Nat was in and out of Mr Russell’s office three or four times a day, only to find that something they had agreed on in the morning had been reversed by the afternoon. This usually occurred whenever a long-standing member of staff was seen leaving the same office an hour later with a smile on his or her face. It was often left for Tom to pick up the pieces; in fact, if he hadn’t been there to explain to his father why the changes were necessary, there might never have been a six-month report to present.