«You think,» asked Walter Madison, «that rendering Andrew completely ineffective … isn’t sufficient? Who else is fighting us?»
Ian Hamilton spoke. «Trevayne is in a unique position, Walter. He fully understands what we’ve done and why we’ve done it. What he may lack in hard evidence he’s more than compensated for by his perception of our larger goals.»
«I don’t understand that,» interrupted Knapp quietly.
«I’ll answer,» said Green, smiling at Hamilton. «We two are not lawyers, Knapp. If we were—I were—I think I’d say that our Mr. Trevayne has only bits and pieces of directly damaging testimony, but volumes of circumstantial evidence. Is that correctly put, Counselor Hamilton?»
«You may go to the head of the class, Aaron… What Trevayne has done is something no one expected he would do. He threw away the book, the legal book. I suspect he threw it away very early in his research… While we were concerned with a thousand legalities, ten thousand items of cost and processing and allocations, Trevayne was going after something else. Individuals. Men in key positions he correctly assumed were representative. Remember, he’s a superb administrator; even those who despise him grant him that. He knew there had to be a pattern, a control process. A company as large and diverse as Genessee couldn’t function on the executive-board level if one didn’t exist. Especially under the circumstances. Strangely enough, Mario de Spadante’s people first perceived it. They purposely sent in contradictory information and waited to be called up on it. They weren’t. Of course, they didn’t know what to do with what they’d discovered. De Spadante crudely began making threats, upsetting everyone he came in contact with… So much for De Spadante.»
«I’m sorry, Mr. Hamilton.» Knapp leaned forward on the white wrought-iron chair with its floral-print cushions. «Everything you say leads me right back to Bobby Webster’s solution… You imply that Trevayne has pieced together information that endangers everything we’ve worked for; what better moment to discredit him? Discredit him, we discredit his evidence. At least, sufficiently so for our purposes.»
«Why not kill him?» Aaron Green’s deep voice thundered across the table. It was an angry question and stunned Madison and Knapp. Hamilton had no visible reaction. «That shakes you, eh? Why? It is the unspoken thought, perhaps… I’ve seen death closer than anyone at this table, so it does not shock me. But I will tell you why it is not plausible, just as this peddler Webster’s solution is not plausible… Such men as Trevayne are more dangerous in death and forced retirement than they are in active life.»
«Why?» asked Walter Madison.
«Because they leave legacies,» answered Green. «They become rallying points for crusaders. They are the martyrs, the symbols. They cause the breeding of discontented rats that multiply and nibble away at your foundations! We have no time to spend stamping out their nests.»
Aaron Green’s anger so upset him that his old hands shook. Ian Hamilton’s voice was calm but nevertheless commanding. «Don’t excite yourself, Aaron. Nothing will be accomplished by it… He’s right, you know. We haven’t the time for such endeavors. Not only are they distracting, they can’t succeed. Men like Trevayne keep extensive records… Instead, one must face a fundamental issue. We can neither obscure it nor sidestep it. We must understand and accept our own motives… In light of the record, I primarily address myself to the Senator and Aaron. You arrived late on the scene, Walter; your participation, though immensely valuable, has not been one of long standing.»
«I know that,» said Madison softly.
«There are many who could call us power brokers, and they would be right. We dispense authority within the body politic. And though there are ego compensations in what we do, we are not driven by our egos to do it. We, of course, believe in ourselves; but only as instruments to gain our objectives. I explained this—abstractly, to be sure—to Trevayne, and I believe he can be convinced of our sincerity.»
Knapp had been staring down at the glass tabletop, listening. Suddenly he whipped his head up and looked at Hamilton in disbelief. «You what?»
«Yes, Senator, that’s what it came down to between us. Are you shocked?»
«I think you’ve lost your mind!»
«Why?» asked Aaron Green sharply. «Have you ultimately done something for which you are ashamed, Senator? Are you more concerned for yourself than for our aims? Are you one of us, or are you something else?» Green leaned forward, his hand trembling on the handle of the coffee cup.
«It’s not a question of being ashamed. It’s simply one of being misjudged, Mr. Green. You act as a private individual; I am an elected representative. Before I’m held accountable, I want the results to be apparent. We haven’t reached that point yet.»
«We’re nearer than you think,» said Hamilton quietly, in counterpoint to both Green and Knapp.
«I fail to see any evidence of that,» replied the Senator.
«Then you haven’t looked around you.» Hamilton raised his brandy glass and drank sparingly. «Everything we’ve touched, every area we’ve managed, has been the better for our attentions. There can be no denying it. What we’ve done, in essence, is to build a financial base of such dimensions that it influences whole sections of the country. And wherever that influence has been felt, we’ve improved the status quo. Minorities—and majorities—are heeded; employment risen; welfare declined; production continued without interruption. As a result, segments of national interest have benefited. Our military posture has been strengthened unquestionably; geographical areas of the economy remain at high-gross-product levels; social reforms in housing, education, and medicine have been promoted painlessly wherever Genessee’s imprimatur is found… What we’ve proved is that we can bring about social stability… Would you deny this summation, Senator? It’s what we’ve worked for.»
Knapp was startled. Hamilton’s rapid enumeration of points astonished him; gave him a sense of confidence—identification, perhaps—he had not felt before. «I’ve been too close to the Washington machinery; obviously you have a better view.»
«Granted. I’d still like you to answer the question. Would you deny the facts … from what you have discovered?»
«No, I imagine I wouldn’t …»
«You couldn’t.»
«All right, ‘couldn’t.’»
«Then don’t you see the corollary?… Don’t you realize what we’ve done?»
«You’ve outlined the accomplishments; I accept them.»
«Not just accomplishments, Senator. I’ve outlined the leadership functions of the executive branch of the government… With our help. Which is why, after painstaking consideration and swift but exhaustive analysis, we are going to offer Andrew Trevayne the presidency of the United States.»
No one spoke for several minutes. Ian Hamilton and Aaron Green sat back in their chairs and let the newcomers absorb the information. Finally, Knapp spoke in a voice laced with incredulity.
«That’s the most preposterous statement I’ve ever heard. You’ve got to be joking.»
«And you, Walter?» Hamilton turned to Madison, who sat staring at his glass. «What’s your reaction?»
«I don’t know,» answered the attorney slowly. «I’m still trying to digest it… I’ve been close to Andrew for many years. I think he’s an extraordinarily talented man… But this? I just don’t know.»