held his breath and drank it.
“You’re right. She’s a bitch.”
“She’s a bitch.” The girl pressed into Canfield’s shoulder and arm, turning
her face to his. “You’re not a bitch, am you?,.
“No, and the gender is wrong, anyway. Why is she going to Europe?”
“I’ve asked myself that lots of times and I cant think of an answer. And I
don’t care. Are you really a nice personr
“The nicest, I think.”
“I’m going to kiss you and find out. I can always tell.”
“You’re not that practiced . . . …
“Oh, but I am.” The girl reached across Canfiel4fs neck and pulled him to
her. She trembled.
His response was mild astonishment. The girl was desperate and for some
senseless reason, he had the feeling of wanting to protect her.
149
She pulled her hand down from his shoulder. “Lefs go upstairs,” she said.
And upstairs they -kissed and Janet Scarlett put her hands on his face.
. “She said . . . fun of being a Scarlett without a Scarlett around. . . .
That’s what she said.”
“Who? Who said that?”
“Mother Bitch. That’s who.”
‘Ifis mother?”
“Unless she finds him rm free.Take me, Mat-
thew. Take me, please, for God’s sake!”
As he led her to bed, Canfield made up his mind that he’d somehow
convince his superiors -that he had to get aboard that ship.
150
CHAPTER 17
Jefferson Cartwright draped a towel over his body and walked out of the
club’s steam room. He went into the needle shower and let the harsh spray
beat down on the top of his head, turning his face upward until the tiny
blasts of water hurt his skin. He adjusted the faucets so that the water
slowly became colder, finally icy.
He had gotten very drunk the night before. Actually he Ud started drinking
early in the afternoon and by midnight was so far gone he decided to stay
at his club rather than go home. He had every reason to celebrate. Since
his triumphant meeting with Elizabeth Scarlatti he’d spent several days
analyzing to the best of his ability the affairs of the Scarwyck
Foundation. Now he was prepared to walk among his peers. Elizabeth’s
agreement never left his mind. He kept it in his briefcase until he knew
enough about Scarwyck so that even his own attorneys would be impressed. He
remembered as the water splashed down on his head that he had put the
briefcase in a locker at Grand Central Station. Many of his colleagues
swore that the Grand Central lockers were safer than vaults. Certainly they
were safer than the Scarlatti vaultsl
He’d pick up the briefcase after lunch and take the agreement to his
lawyers. They’d be astonished and he hoped they’d ask. him questions about
Scarwyck. He’d rattle off facts and figures so rapidly they’d be in shock.
He could hear them now.
“My God, ole Jeff! We had no idea!”
Cartwright laughed out loud in the shower.
151
He, Jefferson Cartwright, was the most cavalier of Virginia Cavaliers!
These Northern pricks with their highfallutin condescending ways, who
couldn’t even satisfy their own wives, had ole Jeff to reckon with now. On
their levell
My God, he thought, he could buy and sell half the members in the ‘ club!
It was a lovely dayl
After his shower, Jefferson dressed and, feeling the -full measure of his
power, jauntily entered the private bar. Most of the members were gathered
for lunch and with false graciousness several accepted his offer of a
drink. However, their reluctance turned into minor enthusiasm when
Jefferson announced casually that he had “taken over Scarwyck’s financial
chores.”
Two or three suddenly found that the boorish Jefferson Cartwright had
qualities that they had not noticed before. Indeed, not a bad chap, if you
came to think about iL . . . Certainly must have something! Soon the heavy
leather chairs surrounding the circular oak table to which Jefferson had
repaired were occupied.
As the clock neared two thirty, the members excused themselves and headed
to their offices and their telephones. The communications network was
activated and the startling news of Cartwright’s coup with the Scarwyck
Foundation was spread.
One particular gentleman did not leave, however. He stayed on with a few
diehards and joined the court of Jefferson Cartwright. He was perhaps fifty
years old and the essence of that image so sought by aging socialites. Even
to the graying moustache so perfectly overgroomed.
The funny thing was that no one at the table was quite sure of his name,
but no one wanted to admit it. This was, after all, a club.
The gentleman gracefully propped himself into the chair next to Jefferson
the minute it became available. He bantered with the Southerner and
insisted upon ordering another round of drinks.
When the drinks arrived, the well-tailored gentleman reached for, the
martinis and in the middle of an anecdote placed them in front of him for
a moment. As he finished his story, he handed one to Jefferson.
Jefferson took the drink and drank fully.
The gentleman excused himself. Two minutes later Jefferson Cartwright fell
over on the table. His eyes. were
152
not drowsy or even closed as might become a man who had reached the limit
of alcoholic capacity. Instead, they were wide open, bulging out of his
skull.
Jefferson Cartwright was dead.
And the gentleman never returned.
Downtown in the press room of a New York tabloid an old typesetter
punched out the letters of the short news story. It was to appear on page
10.
Banker Succumbs in Fashionable Men’s Club
The typesetter was disinterested.
Several machines away another employee pushed the keys for another story.
This one was sandwiched between retail advertisements on page 48.
Grand Central Lacker Robbed
The man wondered. Isn’t anything safe anymore?
153
CHAPTER18
At the captain’s table in the first-class dining room of the Catpurnia,
Elizabeth was somewhat surprised to find that her companion to the right was
a man no more than thirty years old. The normal practice when she traveled
alone was for the ship line to provide her with a~ aging diplomat or a
retired broker, a good card player, someone with whom she’d have something
in common.
She had no one to blame, however, as she had checked the captain’s list-a
procedure she insisted upon so that there would be no embarrassing business
confticts-and had merely noted that one Matthew Canfield was an executive
with a sporting goods firm that purchased heavily in England. Someone with
social connections, she had assumed.
At any rate he was likable. A.polite young man, very shallow, she thought,
and probably a good salesman, which he refreshingly admitted he was.
Toward the end of dinner a deck officer approached her chair; there was a
cable for her.
“You may bring it to the table.” Elizabeth was annoyed.
The officer spoke softly to Elizabeth.
“Very well,” She rose from her chair.
“May I be of assistance, Madame Scarlatti?” asked Matthew Canfield,
salesman, as he rose with the rest of the table.
“No, thank you.”
154
“Are you quite sure?”
“Quite, thank you.” She followed the deck officer out of the salon.
In the radio room, Elizabeth was shown to a table behind the counter and
handed the message. She noted the instructions at the top: “Emergency-have
addressee brought to office for immediate reply.”
She looked Over at the deck officer who waited on the other side of the
counter to escort her back to the salon. “My apologies, you were following
orders.”
She read the rest of the wireless.
MADAME ELIZABETH SCARLATTI: H.M.S. CALPURNIA, HIGH SEAS
VICE-PRESIDENT JEFFERSON CARTWRIGHT DEAD STOP CAUSE OF DEATH UNCERTAIN STOP
AUTHORITIES SUSPECT ABNORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES STOP PRIOR TO DEATH CARTWRIGHT
MADE PUBLIC A POSITION OF SIGNIFICANT RANK WITH SCARWYCK FOUNDATION STOP
WE HAVE NO RECORD OF SUCH POSITION YET INFORMATION RECEIVED FROM RELIABLE
SOURCES STOP IN LIGHT OF ABOVE DO YOU WISH TO COMMENT OR INSTRUCT US IN ANY
WAY STOP EPISODE MOST TRAGIC AND EMBARRASSING TO WATERMAN CLIENTS STOP WE
HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF VICE-PRESIDENT CARTWRIGHT’S QUESTIONABLE ACTIVITIES
STOP AWAITING YOUR REPLY STOP
HORACE BOUTIER PRESIDENT WATERMAN TRUST COMPANY
Elizabeth was stunned. She wired Mr. Boutier that all announcements from
the Scarlatti Industries would be issued by Chancellor Drew Scarlett within
a week. Until then there would be no comment.
She sent a second wire to Chancellor Drew.
c.D. scARLETT, 129 EAST sjxTY-sEcoND STREET, NEW YORK
REGARDING JEFFERSON CARTWRIGHT NO STATEMENTS REPEAT NO STATEMENTS WILL BE
ISSUED PUBLICLY OR PRIVATELY REPEAT PUBLICLY OR PRIVATELY UNTIL
155
WE ARE IN CONTACT FROM ENGLAND STOP REPEAT NO STATEMENT STOP
AFFECTIONATELY AS ALWAYS
MOTHER
Elizabeth felt she should reappear at the table if for no other reason than
to avoid calling too much attention to the incident. But as she walked
slowly back through the narrow corridors with the deck officer, it came
upon her with progressive apprehension that what had happened was a