Kane and Abel/Sons of Fortune Read online

  William was at his desk in the bank when he had his first heart attack. Not a very serious one. The doctors told him he should rest a short time but that he would still live another twenty years. He told his doctor, another bright young man—how William missed Andrew MacKenzie!—that he wanted to survive only for ten years to see out his term of office as chairman of the bank.

  For the few weeks in which he convalesced at home, William reluctantly allowed Jake Thomas the overall responsibility for the bank’s decisions, but as soon as William returned he quickly reestablished his position as chairman for fear that Thomas might have taken on too much authority in his absence. From time to time, Kate plucked up the courage to beg him to let her make some direct approach to Richard, but William remained obstinate, saying, “The boy knows he can come home whenever he wants to. All he has to do is end his relationship with that scheming girl.”

  The day Henry Osborne killed himself, William had a second heart attack but never commented on the pain. Kate sat by his bedside all through the night, fearing he would die, but his interest in Abel Rosnovski’s forthcoming trial kept him alive. William followed the various developments devoutly and he knew Osborne’s suicide could only put Rosnovski in a far stronger position. When Rosnovski was finally released with nothing more than a six months’ suspended sentence and a $25,000 fine, the lightness of the penalty did not come as a surprise to William. It wasn’t hard to figure out that the Government must have agreed to a deal with Rosnovski’s brilliant lawyer.

  William was, however, surprised to find himself feeling slightly guilty and somewhat relieved that Abel Rosnovski had not been sent to prison.

  Once the trial was over, William didn’t care if Rosnovski dumped his Interstate Airways stock or not. He was still ready for him. But nothing happened, and as the weeks passed, William began to lose interest in the Chicago Baron and think only of Richard, whom he now desperately wanted to see again. “Old age and fear of death allows for sudden changes of the heart,” he had once read. One morning in September he informed Kate of his wish. She didn’t ask why he had changed his mind; it was enough for her that William wanted to see his only son.

  “I’ll call Richard immediately and invite them both,” she told him, and was pleasantly surprised that the word both didn’t seem to faze her husband.

  “That will be fine,” said William quietly. “Please tell Richard that I want to see him again before I die.”

  “Don’t be silly, darling. The doctor said that if you slow down you’ll still live another twenty years.”

  “I only want to complete my term as chairman and see Richard take my place. That will be enough. Why don’t you fly to the Coast again and tell Richard of my request, Kate?”

  “What do you mean, again?” Kate asked nervously.

  William smiled. “I know you’ve been to San Francisco several times already, my darling. Whenever I’ve gone away on a business trip the last few years, you’ve always used the excuse that you were visiting your mother. When she died last year, your excuses became increasingly improbable. We’ve been married for twenty-seven years and by now I think I’m aware of all your habits. You’re still as lovely as the day I met you, my darling, but I do believe that at fifty-four you’re unlikely to have a lover. So it wasn’t all that hard for me to conclude that you had been visiting Richard.”

  “Yes, I have been,” said Kate. “Why didn’t you mention that you knew before?”

  “In my heart I was glad,” said William. “I hated the thought of his losing contact with us both. How is he?”

  “Both of them are well and you have a granddaughter now as well as a grandson.”

  “‘A granddaughter as well as a grandson.’” William repeated.

  “Yes, she’s called Annabel,” said Kate.

  “And my grandson?” said William, inquiring for the first time.

  When Kate told him his name, he had to smile.

  It was only half a lie.

  “Good,” said William. “Well, you fly to San Francisco and see what can be done. Tell him I love him.” He had once heard another old man say that, one who was going to lose his son.

  Kate was more content that night than she had been in years. She called Richard to say she would be flying out to stay with them the following week, bringing good news with her.

  When Kate returned to New York three weeks later, William was pleased to learn that Richard and Florentyna could visit them early the next year, which was the first opportunity for them to get away from San Francisco together. Kate was full of stories of how successful they both were, how William’s grandson was the image of his grandfather and how Richard and Florentyna were so much looking forward to coming back to New York for a visit.

  William listened intently and found he was happy, too, and at peace with himself. He liked everything he heard about Florentyna and had begun to fear that if Richard did not return home soon, he never would, and then the chairmanship of the bank would fall into Jake Thomas’s lap. William did not care to think about that.

  William returned to work the following Monday in high spirits after his lengthy absence, having made a good recovery from his second heart attack and now feeling he had something worth living for.

  “You must pace yourself a little more carefully,” the clever young doctor had told him, but William was determined to reestablish himself as chairman and president of the bank so that he could pave the way for his only son. On his arrival at the bank he was greeted by the doorman, who told him that Jake Thomas was looking for him and had tried to reach him at home earlier. William thanked the senior employee of the bank, the only person who had served Lester’s more years than the Chairman himself.

  “Nothing’s so important that it can’t wait,” he said.

  “No, sir.”

  William walked slowly to the chairman’s office. When he opened his door, he found three of his directors already in conference and Jake Thomas sitting firmly in William’s chair.

  “Have I been away that long?” said William, laughing. “Am I no longer chairman of the board?”

  “Yes, of course you are,” said Jake Thomas, moving quickly out of the chairman’s seat. “Welcome back, William.”

  William had found it impossible to get used to Jake Thomas’s use of his first name. The new generation were all too familiar. They had known each other only a few years, and the man couldn’t have been a day over forty.

  “What’s the problem?” he asked.

  “Abel Rosnovski,” said Jake Thomas without expression.

  William felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach and sat down in the nearest leather seat.

  “What does he want this time?” he said wearily. “Won’t he let me finish my days in peace?”

  Jake Thomas walked toward William.

  “He intends to invoke Article Seven and hold a proxy meeting with the sole purpose of removing you from the chair.”

  “He can’t. He doesn’t have the necessary eight percent and the bank’s bylaws state clearly that the chairman must be informed immediately if any outside person comes into possession of eight percent of the stock.”

  “He says he’ll have the eight percent by tomorrow morning.”

  “No, no,” said William. “I’ve kept a careful check on all the stock. No one would sell to Rosnovski. No one.”

  “Peter Parfitt,” said Jake Thomas.

  “No,” said William, smiling triumphantly. “I bought his stock a year ago through a third party.”

  Jake Thomas looked shocked and no one spoke for several moments.

  William realized for the first time just how much Thomas wanted to be the next chairman of Lester’s.

  “Well,” said Jake Thomas, “the fact is that he claims he’ll have eight percent by tomorrow, which would entitle him to elect three directors to the board and hold up any major policy decision for three months. The very provisions you put into the articles of incorporation to project your long-term position. He a