«Minor stuff, mostly. You may pick up something though.»
The three men talked for an additional forty-five minutes. Trevayne wrote nothing further on the back of the Mark Hopkins envelope. During the conversation Andy made martinis from the ingredients ordered from room service.
The dissection of the Genessee conference was nearly complete.
«You’ve picked our—laughingly called—brains, Mr. Trevayne,» said Vicarson. «What did you think?»
Trevayne rose from his chair and held up the envelope. He approached the two aides on the couch and dropped it on the coffee table. «I think we’ve got what we came for.»
Vicarson picked up the envelope and held it between himself and Martin. They read the carefully printed names.
ERNEST MANOLO—Pasadena
RALPH JAMISON—Houston
JOSHUA STUDEBAKER—Seattle
MITCHELL ARMBRUSTER—D.C.
AARON GREEN—N.Y.C.
IAN HAMILTON—Chicago
«Very well-rounded list, Andrew,» said Alan Martin.
«Very. Each is intrinsic to a Genessee operation involving unusual and expensive circumstances. It’s across the board; that’s what makes it interesting. Starting with Manolo, there’s a labor settlement; Jamison: project design, production; Studebaker: a highly questionable legal decision—federal, too; Armbruster: right into the Senate—there are others in that area, but none have dealt directly with Genessee in California; Aaron Green is distributing a large part of a national lobby’s finances—courtesy of G.I.C. … Ian Hamilton? Who knows? But I get nervous when a man with his presidential ties is that close to a hundred-million-dollar bond issue with a major Defense contractor.»
«What do you want to do?» Martin took the envelope from Sam. «We can get background material on each, I would think.»
«Can we get it without arousing undue interest, though?»
«I think I can,» said Sam Vicarson.
«I had an idea you could,» replied Andy, smiling. «I want each of these people researched thoroughly, quickly. Then I want Manolo, Jamison, and Studebaker interviewed, confronted with—in order—the AFL-CIO negotiation in Pasadena, the design conversions at the Houston laboratories, and the Bellstar court decision in Seattle. We may get nothing, each may be an isolated action, but I don’t think so. I think we’ll find some sort of outline or pattern of how Genessee operates. Even if they’re not related, we’ll get a very good idea of Genessee’s methods.»
«What about the last three? The Senator, Green, and Hamilton?» asked Martin.
«We’ll hold on them until we interview the others,» said Trevayne. «What’s important now is that we move quickly, without giving anyone a clue as to what we’re doing. To use a Bonnerism, a surprise pincer attack; no one has the chance to create explanations… We’re on a junket right now; the word is out that the three of us are pulling routine drop-ins at various plants—from San Francisco to Denver. Okay, that’s what the story remains. We continue. Only there’ll be some absenteeism.»
«Absenteeism? What’s that?» Sam Vicarson seemed entranced by Andrew’s rapid manipulations.
«Alan, I want you to go down to Pasadena; reach Manolo. You’ve had experience in labor stats; you and I negotiated union stuff all over New England years ago. Find out how Manolo did it without any of the big labor boys. And how come he’s so quiet about it; why the settlement hasn’t developed as a union guideline. Manolo should have been crowned and moved into the Washington headquarters. He hasn’t.»
«When do I go?»
«Tomorrow morning. If Sam here can come up with enough Manolo biography to give you something to work with.»
Vicarson wrote on his notes. «It’ll be a long night, but I think I can.»
«I’ll get hold of Mike Ryan back east. He’s an aeronautics engineer; that’s close enough to this Jamison’s work in Houston. I want him to get to the Genessee labs, find out how Jamison was able to get away with a conversion that cost one hundred and five million. What kind of man is given that kind of responsibility… Sam, if we could find more hours for the night, could you dig up material on Jamison?»
Vicarson put down his pencil. «Someone in his position at the Genessee labs has to have clearance, doesn’t he?»
«Definitely,» answered Alan Martin.
«I know a disenchanted friend at the FBI. I went to school with him. He was never in the Hoover camp, but the Hoover contingent doesn’t know it. He’ll help us; no one will know.»
«Good. And now you, Sam. Get out all the information you find on the Bellstar decision, Studebaker’s decision. Read it until you can recite it backwards. As soon as Alan returns, I want you to go to Seattle. Studebaker’s your assignment.»
«It’s my pleasure,» said Vicarson. «That man’s a giant; maybe some of his stuff will rub off.»
«Let’s hope it’s the right stuff,» answered Trevayne.
«Andrew?» Alan Martin seemed concerned. «You say you want this all to be done with no flak, no one knowing what we’re doing. That’s going to be difficult. How do you explain the absenteeism?»
«A few years ago, Henry Kissinger got the ‘touristas’ in Taiwan; instead of being in his hotel room, he was in Peking.»
«Okay,» answered Martin. «That part’s okay. But he had rather special transportation. If anyone’s watching us—and we know damned well they are—airline reservations are easily traced.»
«Good point,» answered Trevayne, addressing both men. «And we’ll have special transportation, too. I’ll call my brother-in-law, Doug Pace, in New Haven. He can arrange private planes here and in D.C. Ryan will be watched also.»
«You haven’t lost your touch, Andrew,» said Martin. «Doug may have apoplexy, but he’ll do it.»
«He still hasn’t forgiven me for kidnapping you, you know.»
«My wife brings him chicken soup at the office. She’s afraid he won’t take me back.» Martin smiled; Andrew laughed.
«Mr. Trevayne?» Sam Vicarson was staring at his notes.
«Yes?»
«I see a problem.»
«Only one?» asked Martin. «I’m relieved.»
«I think it’s a big one. How do we know that the minute these guys—Manolo, Jamison, Studebaker—see us, they won’t throw panic switches and call the Genessee management?»
«That is a problem. I think the only way to solve it is to use concrete threats. The approach to each should be that he is a small part of a much, much larger concern. The interviews are confidential; to break that confidence could be indictable. Since Defense is involved, maybe we could use the National Security Act.»
«Section three-five-eight!» Vicarson was impressed with himself. «I picked that up from Bonner during an argument.»
«We’ll try it… Now, you’ve both got a lot to do, and I have calls to make. Was Paul going to have dinner with us?»
«No,» answered Sam. «He said he was going out catting. The son-of-a-bitch didn’t even ask me to come along.»
«He’d be court-martialed for corrupting minors,» said Martin, chuckling.
«Thanks, Father Ben-Gurion.»
«We’ll break, then.» Trevayne reached down for the envelope. «The day after tomorrow we’re in Boise, Idaho; that I.T.T. subsidiary. Try to coordinate and meet us there, Alan. I’ll call your room after I talk to Doug. From Boise, Sam, you head up to Seattle.»
«Join a subcommittee and see the world,» said Sam Vicarson, finishing his martini.
Trevayne leaned back on the pillow and put his feet up on the bed. The telephone calls had been made. Phyllis missed him; she’d gone back to Barnegat while he was away. Life was uneventful. Pam and Steve were surviving at their schools. Pam had won some kind of award this semester in chemistry; how did she ever come by that talent? Phyllis was having the Swansons over for dinner tomorrow. They were still upset over the heroin episode; Officer Fowler at Police Headquarters was no further along than before.