Kane and Abel/Sons of Fortune Read online

  “I may need you to,” said Harry mysteriously.

  “Why?” asked Jimmy.

  “It’s just a hunch,” replied Harry, “no more, but once it comes to deciding those few precious votes, Mr. Cooke will be the man to watch, not Barbara Hunter.”

  “But he won’t try anything with four of us standing over him,” said Jimmy, “not to mention all those staring down from the gallery.”

  “And he wouldn’t dream of doing so,” said Harry. “He’s one of the most punctilious officials I’ve ever dealt with, but he detests Mrs. Hunter.”

  “For any particular reason?” asked Fletcher.

  “She’s been on the phone to him every day since this campaign began, demanding statistics on everything from housing to hospitals, even legal opinions on planning permits, so my bet is he’ll not relish the idea of her becoming a member of the Senate. He’s got quite enough to be worrying about without the likes of Barbara Hunter taking up every spare moment of his time.”

  “But, as you said, there’s nothing he can do.”

  “Nothing that’s illegal,” said Harry. “But should there be any disagreement over a vote, he will be asked to arbitrate, so whatever he recommends, just say ‘Yes, Mr. Cooke,’ even if you think at the time it favors Mrs. Hunter.”

  “I think I understand,” said Fletcher.

  “I’m damned if I do,” said Jimmy.

  Su Ling checked the dining-room table. When the front doorbell rang, she didn’t bother to call up for Nat, because she knew he was rereading The Cat in the Hat. “Read it again, Dad,” Luke always demanded when they reached the last page. Su Ling opened the door to find Tom clutching a bunch of parrot tulips. She gave him a big hug, as if nothing had happened since they last met.

  “Will you marry me?” asked Tom.

  “If you can cook, read The Cat in the Hat, answer the door and set the table all at the same time I’ll give serious consideration to your proposal.” Su Ling took the flowers. “Thank you, Tom,” she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “They’ll look beautiful on the dining table.” Su Ling smiled, “I’m so sorry about Julia Kirkbridge, or whatever her real name was.”

  “Never mention that woman to me again,” said Tom. “In future, our dinners will just be the three of us, a ménage à trois; sadly without the ménage.”

  “Not tonight,” said Su Ling. “Didn’t Nat tell you? He’s invited a business colleague to join us. I assumed you knew all about it and I, as usual, was the only person he informed at the last minute.”

  “He didn’t mention anything about it to me,” said Tom as the doorbell rang.

  “I’ll get it,” said Nat, as he came bounding down the stairs.

  “Now, promise me you won’t talk shop all evening, because I want to hear all about your trip to London …”

  “How nice to see you again,” said Nat.

  “It was just a short break,” said Tom.

  “Let me take your coat,” said Nat.

  “Yes, but did you manage to see any theater?”

  “ … yes, I saw Judi …” began Tom as Nat ushered his guest into the living room.

  “Let me first introduce you to my wife, Su Ling. Darling, this is Julia Kirkbridge, who, as I’m sure you know, is our partner in the Cedar Wood project.”

  “How nice to meet you, Mrs. Cartwright.”

  Su Ling recovered more quickly than Tom. “Please call me Su Ling.”

  “Thank you, and you must call me Julia.”

  “Julia, this is my chairman, Tom Russell, who I know has been looking forward to meeting you.”

  “Good evening, Mr. Russell. After all Nat has told me about you, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you too.” Tom shook her hand, but couldn’t think of anything to say.

  “A glass of champagne, I think, to celebrate the signing of the contract.”

  “The contract?” mumbled Tom.

  “What a nice idea,” said Julia. Nat opened the bottle and poured three glasses, while Su Ling disappeared into the kitchen. Tom continued to stare at the second Mrs. Kirkbridge as Nat handed them both a glass of champagne.

  “To the Cedar Wood projéct,” said Nat, raising his glass.

  Tom just managed to get out the words, “The Cedar Wood project.”

  Su Ling reappeared, smiled at her husband, and said, “Perhaps you’d like to bring our guests in for dinner?”

  “Now, I think it’s only fair, Julia, that I should explain to my wife and Tom that you and I have no secrets.”

  Julia smiled. “None that I can think of, Nat, especially after signing a confidentiality agreement concerning the details of the Cedar Wood transaction.”

  “Yes, and I think it should stay that way,” said Nat, smiling across at her, as Su Ling placed the first course on the table.

  “Mrs. Kirkbridge,” said Tom, not touching his lobster bisque.

  “Please call me Julia; after all we have known each other for some time.”

  “Have we?” said Tom, “I don’t …”

  “That’s not very flattering, Tom,” said Mrs. Kirkbridge, “after all, it was only a few weeks ago, when I was out jogging that you invited me for a drink and then to dinner at the Cascade the following evening. That’s when I first told you about my interest in the Cedar Wood project.”

  Tom turned to Nat. “This is all very clever, but you seem to have forgotten that Mr. Cooke, the auctioneer, and our chief teller, have all come into contact with the original Mrs. Kirkbridge.”

  “The first Mrs. Kirkbridge, yes, but not the original,” said Nat. “And I have already given that problem some considerable thought. There is no reason why Mr. Cooke should ever meet Julia, as he retires in a few months’ time. As for the auctioneer, it was you who did the bidding, not Julia, and you needn’t worry about Ray because I’m going to move him to the Newington branch.

  “But what about the New York end?” said Tom.

  “They know nothing,” said Julia, “other than that I have closed a very advantageous deal.” She paused. “This is lovely lobster bisque, Su Ling. It’s always been my favorite.”

  “Thank you,” said Su Ling as she cleared away the soup bowls and returned to the kitchen.

  “And, Tom, can I just say while Su Ling is out of the room, that I would prefer to forget any other little indiscretions that are rumored to have taken place during the past month.”

  “You bastard,” said Tom, turning to face Nat.

  “No, to be fair,” said Julia, “I did insist on being told everything before I signed the confidentiality agreement.”

  Su Ling returned carrying a serving dish. The smell of roast lamb was tantalizing. “I’ve now worked out why Nat asked me to serve exactly the same meal a second time, but I’m bound to ask, how much more do I need to know if I’m to keep up this charade?”

  “What would you like to know?” asked Julia.

  “Well, I’ve worked out that you’re the real McCoy, and therefore must be the majority shareholder of the Kirkbridge company, but what I’m not sure about is, did you at your husband’s request jog over building sites on a Sunday morning and then report back to him?”

  Julia laughed. “No, my husband didn’t expect me to do that, as I already have an architecture degree.”

  “And may I ask,” continued Su Ling, “did Mr. Kirkbridge die of cancer and then leave the company to you, having taught you everything he knew?”

  “No, he’s very much alive, but I divorced him two years ago, when I discovered he was siphoning off the company’s profits for his personal use.”

  “But wasn’t it his company?” asked Tom.

  “Yes, and I wouldn’t have minded so much if he hadn’t been lavishing those profits on another woman.”

  “Would that woman by any chance be around five foot eight, blond, like expensive clothes, and claim to hail from Minnesota?”

  “You’ve obviously met her,” said Julia, “and I expect it was also my ex-husband who called you from a bank in San Francisco