Marnie and I walked over to the bar. I asked the bartender for a small Martini. "You want anything, doll?"
"No, Nick. I'm all done in. What's up?"
"Do you really wanna live all the way out on Pacific?"
Marnie looked down and shook her head. "I didn't know how to tell you. After this week in your house..."
I nodded.
"But we can't stay with you and Carter forever."
"Agreed. But I saw a house for sale two doors down from Mrs. Benedetto. How about that, instead?"
"You mean that small bungalow we passed?" I nodded. "Oh, Nick!" She threw her arms around my neck.
"Cut it out, doll. You're makin' a scene. I'm the only one who gets to do that here."
She giggled.
Chapter 26
137 Hartford Street
Monday, June 7, 1953
Early that morning
On Monday morning, Carter and I were up and out of the house early. I had called a meeting of our new company for noon. Our new company that still didn't exist, although Jeffery had promised he was working on it.
Mrs. Wilson had been cooking morning, noon, and night for us since we'd gotten home. We'd had a cook-out in the backyard on Saturday night. Pam, Diane, and Evelyn all came over for hamburger sandwiches and frankfurters on rolls. I even called Mike and invited him and his new squeeze, Bud. They came over and we made a real party of it sitting out in the grass, drinking bottles of beer, and listening to records on the hi-fi. Evelyn had quite a collection of modern jazz, Dixieland, and ragtime that she brought over and that we all enjoyed.
Mrs. Wilson made a creamy potato salad that was the hit of the evening. Carter had even brought up the ice cream maker from the basement and made peach ice cream. The weather had been a little warm, so it was nice.
Earlier that day, Marnie, Mrs. Wilson, and myself managed to take a look at the cottage that was for sale on Collingwood. I had called up my real estate guy, Johnny Davis, and he was able to set up the appointment at the last minute.
Marnie liked the place. It needed some work, but not much, mostly new paint. Her mother loved it and was sensible enough not to go on and on about my generosity. At one point, she had simply kissed me on the cheek and said, "Thank you." That was plenty for me.
All in all, they liked it. I made an offer later that afternoon. We got word on Sunday that it was accepted. And, since the place was empty, I was able to rent it for them until the sale was complete. Marnie and Mrs. Wilson would be moving in on Wednesday. I gave Marnie an advance on her salary so she could buy furniture, since they didn't have any.
On Sunday, we had been lazy. Mrs. Wilson and Marnie went for a drive down to see a family friend in Burlingame. Now that Marnie had a car, they were trying to visit relatives scattered around the Bay Area as often as they could.
Carter and I spent the afternoon reading and listening to Mozart, Brahms, and Bach on the hi-fi. The day was warm again, so I made a cold cucumber soup for dinner, which went over so-so. Mrs. Wilson and Carter decided to make sandwiches for themselves. That was fine by me. More soup to share with Marnie, who loved it.
We left early on Monday morning. I wanted to have a quiet breakfast at our old corner diner in the Tenderloin. We did what we used to do on Saturdays back in the days when we lived in the neighborhood. We spent a couple of hours reading the papers, drinking coffee, and talking about nothing much. Since it was Monday, the place was kinda quiet. It was nice. Real nice.
Around 10, we walked into the reception area of Jeffery's office. While we had all been in Ensenada, Jeffery's three junior partners (he was the only senior one since it was his firm) had staged a coup. They'd tried to take over the firm in his absence. When he got back into town, he'd taken back control of the firm, bought them out of their partnerships, and started hiring new young blood to replace them.
Now that Eisenhower was in office and it was looking like the Korean War was about to be finally over, Jeffery had put out feelers once again to the veterans groups to let them know that he was offering services at a reduced rate to returning veterans. He was already seeing a stream of them coming in, or so he'd told me on Friday when we'd seen him at dinner.
Tony, the elevator operator at The Shell Building where Jeffery had his office, wasn't on duty when we arrived. I asked the man who was in his place and he said that Tony was at home taking care of his Anna who was not doing well.
Marnie was still trying to find a doctor who might be working on an experimental treatment to help Anna. Tony and his wife had been told that Anna wouldn't walk again. She'd been hit hard by the polio and they were having a rough time with it.
When we walked into Jeffery's office a little past 10, it was busy. Robert, his trusty receptionist, was on the phone when we opened the doors. He looked up, smiled, and pointed behind him, indicating we should go through to Jeffery's office.
We did just that, walking over the plush carpeting and down the hall to the last door, which was closed. I knocked and waited. After a moment, I heard Jeffery say, "Come in," so we did.
The view from his office was always a welcome sight. He was on the tenth floor and his window faced the bay. On the right you could see the Ferry Building at the end of Market Street. On the left you could see the Golden Gate Bridge. In between, you could see Alcatraz Island with its concrete prison complex. Today the air was clear and the bay was blue. It was beautiful.
Jeffery looked up from his desk and smiled.
I said, "Good mornin'."
He said, "It is, at that. How are you both? How was your weekend?"
Carter filled him in on the particulars, including the new house for Marnie and Mrs. Wilson.
Jeffery made a note and said, "I'll get in touch with Johnny, if he doesn't call me first. We'll put that in the company that owns the other real estate."
I nodded and said, "That's fine. How's the incorporation coming?" I was referring to Consolidated Security, Inc., our non-existent new company.
Jeffery said, "Have a seat." We both took off our hats and did just that.
"No problem, as far as I can see. I do have to talk to you about the licensing board."
I nodded. "What's up?"
"They sent another letter about the investigation. It's scheduled for early July in Sacramento. And they suggested you have counsel present."
I nodded. "Of course. Will you be able to go?"
Jeffery nodded. "I'm going to send them a detailed letter asking for specifics about the investigation. They might not respond. But it's worth a shot. I want them to know you're not going in with some fly-by-night lawyer."
I smiled and said, "They'll be sorry they tangled with you, I'm sure."
Jeffery smiled. "We'll see." We talked about some other details having to do with the real estate company and some paperwork that Bank of America, who managed my trust, had asked for.
After we got through all that, he said, "Janet's will has been entered into probate. It's pretty straightforward and I don't think there will be any problems. I've officially notified the Foundation board of the bequest. They were happy to hear it. "
When my sister Janet had been murdered three weeks earlier, I had found two letters from Uncle Paul about his bequest to her. No one, outside of his Boston attorney, knew anything about this, except Janet. She'd received the money in the spring of '52, about a year before she died. And she hadn't done much with it other than to hire Jeffery to write a rock-solid will, buy a new car, and buy a house that she didn't bother to furnish. Her will directed that her entire estate should be given to The Williams Benevolent Foundation. That house was the one I had been planning to buy from the Foundation and lease to Marnie, once everything was settled.
Jeffery looked at me for a moment.
"Now that we can talk about it, I have a question for you."
"Shoot."
"Why is her bequest half the size of yours?"
I hadn't really paid attention to that. In all the rush on the day that I had r
ead the will, I had noted the amount but hadn't thought about the difference. But he was right. Her bequest was half of mine.
I shrugged. "I dunno. I'd guess it was the way he thought about women. He made her wait until she was 25 to get the money. I got mine at 21. So maybe it was just more of that same kind of attitude. Truth is that neither of us were particularly well-equipped to handle that kind of money."
Jeffery exchanged a knowing look with Carter. I asked, "What?"
Carter said, "You always say that, son. But look at all the money you're making from the real estate you've bought."
"But I didn't invest in those buildings. I just bought the one apartment building so I'd have a place to live. Then I bought a couple that were nearby and for sale. They were all like that. Just random purchases. Like this house for Marnie. Just helping people out."
Jeffery rolled his eyes at me. "Well, your random investment scheme is paying off handsomely. You won't believe what your tax bill is going to be this quarter."
I shrugged. I hadn't earned the money. I had more than I could spend. To think any more about it than that was a little screwy to me. I didn't know what I was doing. I had good folks looking out for things, like Jeffery and the trust managers at Bank of America.
Carter said, "Don't forget about Mike."
I nodded. "Mike's gonna need a two-bedroom apartment. He has a new squeeze and they won't fit in his current place."
Jeffery raised his eyebrow. "New squeeze?"
I nodded. "One of the crewmen on the ship. Short, compact guy by the name of Bud. They were at it like rabbits the first couple of days we were on the ship. He's moved up here. They came over on Saturday to the house when we had a cook-out. Nice guy."
Carter groaned. "Nice enough. But squirrelly, if you ask me."
I shrugged. "We'll see."
Jeffery said, "You're going to need to hire a manager for your properties, Nick. I can take care of the legal end of things, but I can't keep handling the on-site managers."
I nodded. "Any suggestions?"
"Robert, as a matter of fact."
"Robert? Your receptionist?"
Jeffery nodded.
"Are you firing him?"
"Not really. I just need to get a gal behind that desk."
Neither of us said anything for a moment.
Carter finally asked, "Are you sure? Isn't that, I dunno, wrong and unfair?"
Jeffery shrugged. "Times are changing. They have been for a while. I need a gal out there for all those red-blooded vets who're coming in the door."
I could see his reasoning but I didn't like it. I asked, "Are you sure you're gonna do that?"
Jeffery nodded. He seemed to be unfazed by our joint disapproval.
"But he's in love with you," said Carter.
"All the more reason," replied Jeffery.
This was really getting under my skin. "OK. But let me approach him. For his sake, and to be honest, for yours, I'd rather be looking like I'm stealing him away from you."
Jeffery nodded. "That's good. It'll be easier."
That was about as much of that as I wanted to take. I stood up. "I'm gonna do it right now, in fact." I was angry. I walked out his office door, down the hall, and into the reception area. It was just as busy as earlier, if not more so.
As soon as Robert was off the phone, I said, "Can someone take over for you? I need to talk to you about something important, right now."
Robert looked around, surprised. "I, um... Hold on." He dialed a number and asked someone on the other end to come out and cover for him. In a moment, a pretty gal of about 25 or so came up from one of the back offices and took over his station.
I led Robert into the main conference room where Eddie Mannix had tried to deck me about three weeks earlier.
I closed the door and said, "Sit down, Robert." He did just that. His face was full of curiosity.
I sat on the side of the table next to him. I was holding my hat, so I used it as a prop for emphasis. "I have a one-time offer for you. You have to decide right now. If you say no, the offer goes away forever. But, if you say yes, you have to take it immediately and walk out the door with us when Carter and I leave. You understand?"
Robert looked confused at first. As he sorted through what I'd said, he sat back in the chair.
"So, what you're saying is that this offer, whatever it is, is a one-time deal. Good only now and never again."
I nodded. "You have to agree to those terms before I tell you what it is."
He smiled. "Tell me! I can't wait to hear what it is, Mr. Williams."
I smiled. "Nick. If you take this offer, you have to promise to call me Nick and likewise with Carter."
He nodded. He now looked a little apprehensive. I wondered if he thought this was an unseemly proposition. He was a sweet kid, but that wasn't happening.
I said, "Here it is. I want you to come work for me, at my office up the hill in the Tenderloin. You'll help Marnie out in the office when she needs it. But what you'll mostly be doing is managing my real estate holdings. That means you take calls from the on-site managers, deal with whatever they need, find replacements when they leave or when you kick them out, and also be on the look-out for new buildings for me to buy." I added that last one out of nowhere. I wasn't sure what that would mean, but it sounded good.
He looked stunned.
I continued, "I'm gonna double your salary. You may end up helping us on investigations, from time to time, as well. You outta know that we're turning out to be an all-homosexual crew, except for Marnie." He smiled when I said that. "You gotta be comfortable with that and with yourself in that way. I stand up for people who work for me. You gotta know that as well. So, waddaya think?"
He blinked a couple of times. Finally, he asked, "Are you putting me on, Nick?"
I shook my head.
"It sounds almost too good to be true, to be honest. Is there a catch?"
I shrugged. "You might not like working with us. You might hate dealing with the crap that running an apartment building includes. But, other than that, there's no catch."
"Why me?" That was a good question. I was feeling good about this for the first time.
"Because you're smart. You can juggle lotsa things at once. And Marnie likes you. That's your best reference, by the way. She doesn't like everyone and she tells it like it is."
Robert swallowed. He was obviously gratified but looking a little overwhelmed by it all. I couldn't blame him. I was coming in with a steamroller, after all.
He asked, "Does Jeffery know you're doing this?" I noticed he used the man's first name.
I said, "Yes and no. He knows I need a real estate manager. He doesn't know about the offer." That was technically true.
Robert closed his eyes for a moment.
I said, "Clock's ticking, kid."
He looked up at me. "I'm in."
I nodded. "Good boy."
. . .
Robert went to his desk to pack up his things. I went to Jeffery's office where I found him and Carter not talking to each other.
"Well?" asked Jeffery.
"He's packing up his stuff right now."
Jeffery looked relieved.
"This is a real shit thing you're doing here." That was Carter. I agreed.
Jeffery shrugged. "It's business. No hard feelings. Plus, it's good for Nick."
I shook my head. "Yes, it's good for me. And, now that I see what you're doing, it's good for Robert." I was trying not to tear into him. "When you were in Ensenada and no one knew where you were, that kid was over at my house in my kitchen worried sick about you." I didn't mention that I was, too.
Jeffery said, "I know. But I have to take care of this firm. The ship was sinking while I was gone. Now I'm back and I have to put things right. I have to do what's good for business."
Carter sighed in disgust. He stood up, put his hat on, and walked out the door. I looked at Jeffery. "I don't understand you. These last three weeks, you have run here and ru
n there and expected me to come chasing after you. What's wrong with you? I thought this was all behind you."
He stood up, his eyes flashing. "That's the point, Nick. That is all behind me. I have to do things right and normal now. Those vets need my help. But they won't come in here if the first voice they talk to on the phone is a sissy with a lisp."
I shook my head, put on my hat, and walked out the door.
Carter and Robert were waiting in the front office in a ring of well wishers. I walked straight through and on to the elevator. I was so angry, I was afraid to talk to anyone. I stood in front of the elevator doors waiting for Carter and Robert.
Once they arrived, I didn't say anything. Carter pressed the down button. We waited in silence. The door opened and we stepped in. Carter said, "Lobby." The elevator started down in silence.
When the door opened at the lobby, I turned right towards the garage. I slammed through the doors and grabbed the keys from the kid on duty. He had kept it up front for us. I gave him a folded five and didn't say anything. I opened the door of the Buick, sat down behind the wheel, and slammed the door closed just for the satisfaction of the noise. I saw Carter and Robert coming through. Carter spoke to the kid, who put his box in the backseat. Carter said to me, "Scoot over, Nick. You're too angry to drive." I did that because he was right.
Chapter 27
On the way to the office
Monday, June 7, 1953
Half past 11 in the morning
As he was driving up Sutter, Carter quickly glanced over at me and asked, "What's the employee count now?"
I was still steaming so I just barked out a single word, "Nine."
"And how many clients?"
I didn't answer. He knew.
He parked the car on the street about half a block down from the office. I told Robert to bring his box with him. It was only 11:30 and I didn't know if Marnie was at her desk yet. I was worried that she would be upset but, at that exact moment, I didn't really give a rat's ass.
The Sartorial Senator (A Nick Williams Mystery Book 3) Page 18
