«If he can tell.»
«I see what you mean,» said Tanner getting to his feet, smiling. «Joe’s no drinker.»
«He’s trying.»
«Leila, how come you and Bernie got in a couple days ago?»
«He hasn’t told you?» Leila was hesitant, seemingly annoyed that the explanation was left to her.
«No. Obviously.»
«He’s looking around. He had conferences, lunches.»
«What’s he looking for?»
«Oh, projects. You know Bernie; he goes through phases. He never forgets that The New York Times once called him exciting … or incisive, I never remember which. Unfortunately, he’s acquired expensive tastes.»
«You’ve lost me.»
«He’d like to find a class series; you know, the old Omnibus type. There’s a lot of talk around the agencies about upgrading.»
«Is there? I hadn’t heard it.»
«You’re in news, not programming.»
Tanner took out a pack of cigarettes and offered one to Leila. As he lit it he could see the concern, the strain, in her eyes. «Bernie has a lot going for him. You and he have made the agencies a great deal of money. He won’t have any trouble; he’s persuasive as hell.»
«It takes more than persuasion, I’m afraid,» Leila said. «Unless you want to work for a percentage of nonprofit culture… No, it takes influence. Enormous influence; enough to make the money people change their minds.» Leila drew heavily on her cigarette, avoiding Tanner’s stare.
«Can he do that?»
«He might be able to. Bernie’s word carries more weight than any other writer’s on the coast. He has ‘clout,’ as they say… It extends to New York, take my word for it.»
Tanner found himself not wanting to talk. It hurt too much. Leila had all but told him, he thought. All but proclaimed the power of Omega. Of course Bernie was going to do what he wanted to do. Bernie was perfectly capable of making people change their minds, reverse decisions. Or Omega was, and he was part of it—part of them.
«Yes,» he said softly. «I’ll take your word for it. Bernie’s a big man.»
They stood quietly for a moment, then Leila spoke sharply. «Are you satisfied?»
«What?»
«I asked if you were satisfied. You’ve just questioned me like a cop. I can even furnish you with a list of his appointments, if you’d like. And there are hairdressers, department stores, shops—I’m sure they’d confirm my having been there.»
«What the hell are you talking about?»
«You know perfectly well! That’s not a very nice party in there, in case you haven’t noticed. We’re all behaving as if we’d never met before, as if we really didn’t like our new acquaintances.»
«That has nothing to do with me. Maybe you should look to yourselves.»
«Why?» Leila stepped back. Tanner thought she looked bewildered, but he didn’t trust his appraisal. «Why should we? What is it, John?»
«Can’t you tell me?»
«Good Lord, you are after him, aren’t you? You’re after Bernie.»
«No, I’m not. I’m not after anyone.»
«You listen to me, John! Bernie would give his life for you! Don’t you know that?»
Leila Osterman threw the cigarette on the ground and walked away.
As Tanner was about to carry the chlorine bucket to the garage, Ali came outside with Bernie Osterman. For a moment he wondered whether Leila had said anything. Obviously she hadn’t. His wife and Bernie simply wanted to know where he kept the club soda and to tell him that everyone was getting into suits.
Tremayne stood in the kitchen doorway, glass in hand, watching the three of them talking. To Tanner he seemed nervous, uneasy.
Tanner walked into the garage and placed the plastic bucket in the corner next to the garage toilet. It was the coolest place. The kitchen door opened and Tremayne walked down the steps.
«I want to see you a minute.»
«Sure.»
Tremayne turned sideways and slid past the Triumph. «I never see you driving this.»
«I hate it. Getting in and out of it’s murder.»
«You’re a big guy.»
«It’s a small car.»
«I … I wanted to say I’m sorry about that bullshit I was peddling before. I have no argument with you. I got burned on a case several weeks ago by a reporter on The Wall Street Journal. Can you imagine? The Journal! My firm decided not to go ahead on the strength of it.»
«Free press or fair trial. A damned valid argument. I didn’t take it personally.»
Tremayne leaned against the Triumph. He spoke cautiously. «A couple of hours ago, Bernie asked you—he was talking about last Wednesday—if you were working on anything like that San Diego story. I never knew much about that except that it’s still referred to in the newspapers …»
«It’s been exaggerated out of proportion. A series of waterfront payoffs. Indigenous to the industry, I think.»
«Don’t be so modest.»
«I’m not. It was a hell of a job and I damned near got the Pulitzer. It’s been responsible for my whole career.»
«All right… Fine, good… Now, I’m going to stop playing games. Are you digging around something that affects me?»
«Not that I know of… It’s what I said to Bernie; I’ve a staff of seventy-odd directly involved with news gathering. I don’t ask for daily reports.»
«Are you telling me you don’t know what they’re doing?»
«I’m better than that,» said Tanner with a short laugh. «I approve expenditures; nothing is aired without my clearing it.»
Tremayne pushed himself away from the Triumph. «All right, let’s level… Ginny came back inside fifteen minutes ago. I’ve lived with that girl for sixteen years. I know her… She’d been crying. She was outside with you and she came back crying. I want to know why.»
«I can’t answer you.»
«I think you’d better try!… You resent the money I make, don’t you?»
«That’s not true.»
«Of course it is! You think I haven’t heard Ali on your back! And now you subtly, off-handedly drop that nothing is aired without your clearing it! Is that what you told my wife? Am I supposed to hear the details from her? A wife can’t testify; are you protecting us? What do you want?»
«Get hold of yourself! Are you into something so rotten you’re getting paranoid? Is that it? You want to tell me about it?»
«No. No! Why was she crying?»
«Ask her yourself!»
Tremayne turned away and John Tanner could see the lawyer’s body begin to shake as he passed his hands on the hood of the small sports car.
«We’ve known each other a long time; but you’ve never understood me at all… Don’t make judgments unless you understand the men you’re judging.»
So this was it, thought Tanner. Tremayne was admitting it. He was part of Omega.
And then Tremayne spoke again and the conclusion was destroyed. He turned around and the look on his face was pathetic.
«I may not be beyond reproach, I know that, but I’m within the law. That’s the system. I may not like it all the time, but I respect that system!»
Tanner wondered if Fassett’s men had placed one of their electronic pick-ups in the garage. If they had heard the words, spoken in such sorrow, with such a ring of truth. He looked at the broken man in front of him.
«Let’s go into the kitchen. You need a drink and so do I.»
19
Alice flipped the switch under the living-room windowsill so the music would be heard on the patio speakers. They were all outside now on the pool deck. Even her husband and Dick Tremayne had finally gotten up from the kitchen table; they’d been sitting there for twenty minutes and Ali thought it strange they’d hardly spoken.