“Mutual Assurance Company? A fine firm. Oh, they took their licking during the Panic along with everybody else. But they weathered it. You have a policy with them, perhaps?”
“No.” I did not offer explanation; there was no use. I couldn’t look to Mutual; I had never executed my contract with them. I couldn’t sue Master Insurance; there is no point in suing a bankrupt corpse.
I could sue Belle and Miles if they were still around-but why be silly? No proof, none.
Besides, I did not want to sue Belle. It would be better to tattoo her all over with “Null and Void” … using a dull needle. Then I’d take up the matter of what she had done to Pete. I hadn’t figured out a punishment to suit the crime for that one yet.
I suddenly remembered that it was the Mannix group that Miles and Belle had been about to sell Hired Girl, Inc., to when they had booted me out. “Mr. Doughty? Are you sure that the Mannix people haven’t any assets? Don’t they own Hired Girl?”
“Hired Girl?’ Do you mean the domestic autoappliance firm?”
“Yes, of course.”
“It hardly seems possible. In fact, it is not possible, since the Mannix empire, as such, no longer exists. Of course I can’t say that there never was any connection between Hired Girl Corporation and the Mannix people. But I don’t believe it could have been much, if any, or I think I would have heard of it.”
I dropped the matter. If Miles and Belie had been caught in the collapse of Mannix, that suited me fine. But, on the other hand, if Mannix had owned and milked Hired Girl, Inc., it would have hit Ricky as hard as it hit them. I didn’t want Ricky hurt, no matter what the side issues were.
I stood up. “Well, thanks for breaking it gently, Mr. Doughty. I’ll be on my way.”
“Don’t go yet. Mr. Davis . . . we of this institution feel a responsibility toward our people beyond the mere letter of the contract. You understand that yours is by no means the first case of this sort. Now our board of directors has placed a small discretionary fund at my disposal to ease such hardships. It-”
“No charity, Mr. Doughty. Thanks anyhow.”
“Not charity, Mr. Davis. A loan. A character loan, you might call it. Believe me, our losses have been negligible on such loans and we don’t want you to walk out of here with your pockets empty.”
I thought that one over twice. I didn’t even have the price of a haircut. On the other hand, borrowing money is like trying to swim with a brick in each hand. . . and a small loan is tougher to pay back than a million. “Mr. Doughty,” I said slowly, “Dr. Albrecht said that I was entitled to four more days of beans and bed here.”
“I believe that is right-I’d have to consult your card. Not that we throw people out even when their contract time is up if they are not ready.”
“I didn’t suppose that you did. But what are the rates on that room I had, as hospital room and board?”
“Eh? But our rooms are not for rent in that way. We aren’t a hospital; we simply maintain a recovery infirmary for our clients.”
“Yes, surely. But you must figure it, at least for cost accounting purposes.”
“Mmm . . . yes and no. The figures aren’t allocated on that basis. The subheads are depreciation, overhead, operation, reserves, diet kitchen, personnel, and so forth. I suppose I could make an estimate.”
“Uh, don’t bother. What would equivalent room and board in a hospital come to?”
“That’s a little out of my line. Still … well, you could call it about one hundred dollars per day, I suppose.”
“I had four days coming. Will you lend me four hundred dollars?”
He did not answer but spoke in a number code to his mechanical assistant. Then eight fifty-dollar bills were being counted into my hand. “Thanks,” I said sincerely as I tucked it away. “I’ll do my damnedest to see that this does not stay on the books too long. Six per cent? Or is money tight?”