war’hero during the past monthsonly to learn that he had rejoined his
proper world. Elizabeth Scarlatti had done her job well. Her son had
dropped out of the importing business and the rumors of his involvement
with criminal elements had died away. He had gone so far as to assume some
minor positionwith New York’s Waterman Trust.
It had immed the affair Scarlatti was over for Ben Reynolds.
And now this.
Would this mean it was no longer dormant, no longer a closed wound? Would
it signify a reopening of the harsh speculation he, Ben Reynolds, had
dwelled upon? Would Group Twenty be called in?
A Scarlatti son did not simply disappear without the government at least
alerted. Too many congressmen were indebted to Scarlatti for one thing or
another-a factory here, a newspaper there, a good-sized campaign check most
of the time. Sooner or later someone would rez ember that Group Twenty had
looked into the man’s activities once before.
They’d be back. Discreetly.
If Elizabeth Scarlatti said it was all right.
Reynolds put the newspaper down, got out of his chair, and walked to his
office door.
“Glover,” he asked his subordinate, “could you come in my office a minuter’
The older man walked back to his chair and sat down. “Did you read the
story about Scarlatti?”
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“This morning on the way to work,” answered Glover, coming through the
door.
What do you make of it?-
“I knew you’d ask me. I think some of his last year’s friends caught up
with him.”
#11Why?1.
Glover sat down m the chair in front of Reynoldes desk. “Because I can’t
think of anything else and ifs logical. . . . And don’t ask me why again
because you know as well as I do.”
“I do? I’m not sure of that”
“Oh, come on, Ben. The moneyman isn’t having any more. Someones stuck for
a shipment and goes to him He refuses. Sicilian sparks fly and that’s that.
. . . Ifs either something like that or a blackmail job. He decided to
fight-and lost.”
“I can’t buy violence.”
“Tell that to the Chicago police.”
“Scarlen didn’t deal with the lower echelons. Thats why I can’t buy a
violence theory. There was too much to lose. Scarlett was too powerful; he
had too many friends… He might be used, not killed.”
‘Then what do you think?”
,’I dowt know. Thaes why I asked you. You jammed up’this aftemoonr’
“God damn it, yes. Still the same two things. No breaks coming our way.”
d’AribDna damr-
,qbws one. That son-of-a-bitch congressman keeps pushing through the
appropriations and we know damned well hes getting paid, but we can’t prove
it. Can’t even get anyone to admit they know anybody… Incidentally, -U
business, Canfield’s on this one.”
speaking of the Scarle “Yes, I know. How’s he doingr”Oh, we can’t blame him.
He’s doing the best he can.” ,,what’s the other problem?” -Me Pond
memorandum from Stockhohn.’:
He’s got to come through with something more than rumors, Glover. He’s
wasting our time until he gives us something concrete. Irve told you
that.” q know, I know. But Pond sent word by courier-4t arrived from
State this mornmg-the transaction’s been made. That’s the word.”
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“Can’t Pond get any names? Thirty million doflars’ worth of securities and
he can’t get a single name?”
“A very tight syndicate, obviously. He hasn’t come up with any.”
“One heU of an ambassador. Coolidge appoints lousy ambassadors.”
“He does think the whole shebang was manipulated by Donnenfeld.”
“WeR, that’s a namel Who in hell is DonnenfeldT’
“Not a person. A firm. About the largest on the Stockholm exchange.”
“How did he come to that conclusion?”
‘Two reasons. The first is that only a large firm could handle it. Two-the
whole thing can be buried easier that way. And it wW have to be buried.
American securities sold on the Stockholm exchange is touchy business.”
“Touchy, helll It can’t be donel”
“All right. Raffied in Stockholm. Same thing as tar as the money’s
concerned.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
“Drudgery. Keep checking an the corporations with extensive ties in Sweden.
You want to know something? Therere a couple of dozen in Milwaukee alone.
How do You like that? Make a bundle over here and do business with your
cousins back home.”
“If yop want my opinion, Walter Pond’s stirring up a quiet fuss so he gets
some attention. Cal Coolidge doesn’t make a friend an ambassador to the
land of the midnight sun—or whatever the hell it’s called-unless the
fellow’s not so good a friend as he thinks he is.”
I
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CHAPTER 12
After two months, with nothing further to write about or to broadcast, the
novelty of Ulster Scarletfs disappearance wore off. For in trutk the only
additional information uncovered by the combined efforts of the police, the
Bureau of Missing Persons, and the federal investigators was of a character
nature and led nowhere. It was as if he had literally decomposed, became
vapor Existing one mmute, a colorful memory the nexL
Ulswes lifei possessions, prejudices, and anxieties were placed under the
scrutiny of professionals. And the result of thew labors etched an
extraordinary portrait of pointlessness. A man who had just about
everything a human being could ask for on this earth had apparently lived
in a vacmmL A purposeless, aimless vacuum.
Elizabeth Scarlatti puzzled over the voluminous reports supplied her by the
authorities. It had become a habit for her, a ritual, a hope. If her son
had been killed~ it would, of course~ be painful; but she could accept the
loss of life. And there were a thousand ways … ffie, water, earth … to
rid the world of a body. But she could not accept this conclusiom It was
possible, of course. He had known the underworld, but on such a peripheral
basis.
One morning Elizabeth stood by her library window watching the outside
world come to grips with another day. The pedestrians always walked so
rapidly in the morning. The automobiles were subject to far more backfiring
after a night of idleness. Then Elizabeth saw
108
one of her maids out on the front steps. The maid was sweeping the front
steps.
As ft watched the woman swing the broom back and forth, Elizabeth was
renunded. of another maid. On another set of steps.
A maid at Ulstees house- A maid who swept UlsteA steps one morning and
remembered her son giving instructions to a taxi driver.
What were those instructions?
A subway. Ulster had to get to a subway.
Her son had to take a subway one morning and Elizabeth hadn!t understood.
it was only a dim ffickering candle in a very dark forest but it was a
light Elizabeth crossed rapidly to the telephone.
Thirty minutes later, Third Vice-President Jefferson Cartwright stood
before Elizabeth Scarlatti. He was stiff partially out of breath from the
nervous pressures of rearranging his schedule in order to attend this
command performanc&
,,yes, hdeed; , drawled the Virginian. “Ali the accounts won thoroughly
examined the minute Mr Scarlett s disappearance was known to us. Wonderful
boy We became very close durin! his sessions at the bank.”
‘TAM is the state of his accounts?”
,q?erfway normal.”
,,rm afraid i doret know what that means.”
Cartwright hesitated for a few seconds–the thoughtful banker. “of course,
the final tigures aren7t complete but we have no reason at this point to
believe he exceeded the annual Income of his trust.”
“What is that income, Mr. CartwrightT’
Well, of cours% the market fluctuates-happily upward–~ Jed be docult to
give you a precise figum”
“Just an approximate OnC”
“Let me we now . . ~” Jefferson Cartwright did not like the direction the
conversation was taking. He was suddenly very thankftil that he had had the
foresight to send those vague memorandums to Chancellor Drew about his
brothees expenditures in Europe. His Southern drawl becam thicker “I could
call several executives more familiar with Mr. Scarlett’s portfolio-~ut it
was considerable. Madame ScarlattL”
109
“nen I expect you to have at least a rough figure at your command.”
Elizabeth did not like Jefferson Cartwright and the tone of her voice was
ominous. –
“Mr. ScarIetVs income from the trust fund designated for personal
expenditures as differentiated from the second trust fund designated for
investments was in excess of seven hundred and eighty-three thousand
dollars.” Cartwright spoke rapidly, quietly.
“rut very pleased that his personal needs rarely exceeded that trifling
amount.” Elizabeth shifted her position in the straight-backed chair so she
could give Mr. Cartwright the fall benefit of her stare. Jefferson Cart-
wright rattled on at an accelerated tempo. Phrases spilled over into
others, his accent more pronounced than ever.
“Well, surely, you were aware of Mr. Scarlett!s extravagances. I believe
the newspapers reported many. As I say, I personally did my best to caution
him, but he was a very headstrong young man. If you recall, just three
years ago, Mr. Scarlett purchased a dirigible for nearly a half million