“I used to be good at it. No time for it, late years.”
“I never had time for it even when I was young. I’m going to take time, now. Reminds me, who’s minding the store?”
“Teal, of course. He wants to see you.”
“You see him, I’m too busy learning to use my new body. And enjoying it. Do I have any money left? Not that I give a hoot.”
“You want the ungarnished truth?”
“You can’t scare me, Jake. If I have to sell this house to pay off this gang of jailers, it won’t worry me. Might be fun. I can tell you this: I’ll never be on Welfare. I’ll get by—always have, always will.”
“Brace yourself. You’re worth more than ever.”
“Huh? Oh, what a shame! When I was just beginning to enjoy being broke.”
“Hypocrite.”
“Not at all, Jake. I—”
“Hypocrite, I said. Oh, hush up. Your fortune had already reached the takeoff point, where it can’t possibly be spent no matter how you try; it just keeps growing. I didn’t even spend all your income on this operation and all that went with it. However, you no longer control Smith Enterprises.”
“So?”
“Yes. I encouraged Teal to borrow money and buy some of your voting shares; it gave him incentive in minding the store. And it looked better. Also, as de-facto chairman of the board, I thought it would look better if I owned a bigger block, too, so I traded you some blue chips and tax-exempts for some of your senior-corporation voting stock.
At present two of us—you and I, or you and Teal—hold voting control. But no one of us. However, I’ll trade back any time you want to resume control.”
“God forbid!”
“We’ll leave the matter open, Johann. I was not trying to take advantage of your illness.”
“No, Jake. If I don’t have controlling interest, I don’t have even a moral responsibility to look out for the company. I’ll resign as chairman of the board—and you can be chairman, or Teal, or you can put it up for grabs.”
“Wait till you’re well.”
“Okay but I shan’t change my mind. But now about that other matter—Uh, Nurse, don’t you have to go empty something, or wash your hands, or check the roof to see if it’s on tight? I want private conversation with my lawyer.”
She smiled and shook her head. “No, sir. You know I can’t leave the room even a moment without being relieved. But I’m authorized by Dr. Hedrick to do this, sir: I can shut off the voice monitor to the remotes, then go over in that far corner and watch video with the sound turned up high so that you’ll be certain I can’t hear you. Dr. Hedrick said you might want privacy in speaking with Mr. Salomon.”
“Well! The old bug—bug-hunter is human after all. You do that, Nurse.”
Shortly, Johann was able to say quietly, “You saw that, Jake? God knows there could be no harm in you alone watching me a few minutes—you could call for help if I choked or something. Anyhow, any trouble would show on their dials. But, no they chaperon me every second and won’t agree to the most harmless request. Look, very quietly now—do you have a pocket mirror on you?”
“Eh? Never carried one in my life.”
“A pity. Well, have one on you next time you’re here to see me. Tomorrow, I hope. Jake, Hedrick is a good doctor, conceded—but he won’t tell me anything. Just this week I asked him whose body this had been—and he wasn’t even polite enough to lie; he just told me that it was none of my business.”
“It isn’t.”
“Huh?”
“Remember the contract I worked out? It said—”
“Never read it. Your pidgin.”
“I told you; you didn’t listen. Donor’s privacy to be respected unless donor specifically grants permission to breach it. . . and even then his estate must confirm after death. In this case neither proviso was met. So you can never be told.”
“Oh, rats. I can find out, once I’m up and around. I would never publicize it; I just want to know.”
“No doubt you will find out. But 1 won’t be a party to breaching a contract with the dead.”