An insulting suggestion, thought William, but it had to be said.
The sort of thing a banker would expect a man to do, walk away the moment a problem arose, thought Abel.
William continued. ‘Until the two-million-dollar debt to the bank is cleared, I’m afraid we must consider the estate of the late Mr Leroy insolvent. We at the bank appreciate your personal involvement with the group, and we have done nothing about disposing of the hotels until we had the opportunity to speak to you in person. We thought it possible you might know of some party interested in the purchase of the property, as the buildings, the land and the business are obviously a valuable asset.’
‘But not valuable enough for the bank to consider backing me,’ said Abel. He ran his hand wearily through his thick, dark hair. William didn’t respond. ‘How long will you give me to find a buyer?’
William hesitated for a moment when he saw the silver band around Abel Rosnovski’s wrist. He had seen that band somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall where.
‘Thirty days. You must understand that the bank is carrying the day-to-day losses on ten of the eleven hotels. Only the Chicago Richmond is currently showing a small profit.’
‘If you would give me enough time, Mr Kane, I could turn all the hotels into profitable concerns. I know I could. Just give me the chance to prove I can do it, sir.’ Abel felt the last word sticking in his throat.
‘Mr Leroy assured the bank that you were worth backing when he came to visit me last fall,’ said William. ‘But these are hard times. There’s no telling if the hotel trade will pick up, and we are not hoteliers, Mr Rosnovski, we’re bankers.’
Abel was beginning to lose his temper with this smoothly dressed ‘young puppy’. ‘They’ll be even harder times for my hotel staff,’ he said. ‘What will they do if you sell off the roof from over their heads? What do you imagine will happen to them?’
‘I’m afraid they are not our responsibility, Mr Rosnovski. I must act in the bank’s best interests.’
‘Don’t you mean in your best interests, Mr Kane?’ said Abel sharply.
The banker flushed. ‘That was an unjust remark, Mr Rosnovski, and I would greatly resent it if I did not understand what you are going through.’
‘Too bad you didn’t show some understanding for Mr Leroy,’ said Abel. ‘You killed him, Mr Kane, just as surely as if you pushed him out of that window yourself. You and your “wash your hands” colleagues, sitting here in your smart offices while we sweat our guts out so you can rake it in when times are good, and rub our faces in the dirt when times are bad.’
William, too, was becoming angry, but unlike Abel he did not show it. ‘This line of discussion is getting us nowhere, Mr Rosnovski. I must warn you that if you are unable to find a buyer for the group within thirty days, I shall have no choice but to put the hotels up for auction on the open market.’
‘You’ll be advising me to ask another bank for a loan next,’ said Abel sarcastically. ‘You know my record and you won’t back me, so why should anyone else take the risk?’
‘What you choose to do now is entirely up to you, Mr Rosnovski. My board’s instructions are simply to dispose of the assets and wind up the account as quickly as possible, and that is what I intend to do. Perhaps you would be kind enough to contact me no later than’ - he glanced at his diary - ‘February fourth to let me know whether you have had any success in finding a buyer. Good day, Mr Rosnovski.’
William rose from behind the desk, and again offered his hand. This time Abel ignored it.
He walked to the door, but paused before leaving the office. ‘I thought after the death of Davis Leroy, Mr Kane, you might feel embarrassed enough to offer a helping hand. I was wrong. Your only interest is the bottom line, but when you go to bed at night, Mr Kane, be sure to think about me. When you wake up in the morning, think about me again, because I’ll never stop thinking about my plans for you.’
William stood frowning at the closed door. That silver band bothered him - where had he seen it before?
His secretary entered the room. ‘What a dreadful little man,’ she said.
‘No, not really,’ said William. ‘He thinks we were responsible for the death of his business partner, and that we’re now dissolving his company without any thought for his employees, not to mention himself, when he has actually proved to be rather good at his job. Mr Rosnovski was remarkably polite given the circumstances. I’m sorry the board didn’t take my advice and back him.’ William sat down in his chair, suddenly feeling exhausted.
29
ABEL ARRIVED back in Chicago later that evening, still furious with his treatment at the hands of William Kane. He didn’t catch exactly what the boy was shouting at the corner newsstand as he hailed a cab and climbed into the back seat.
‘The Richmond Hotel, please.’
‘Are you from the newspapers?’ asked the driver as he moved out onto State Street.
‘No. Why do you ask?’
‘Oh, only because you asked for the Richmond and the place is swarming with journalists.’
Abel couldn’t remember any functions scheduled for the Richmond which might attract the press.
The driver continued: ‘If you’re not a newspaperman, maybe I should take you to another hotel.’
‘Why?’ asked Abel, even more puzzled.
‘Well, you won’t have a very good night’s sleep if you’re booked in there.’
‘Why not?’ demanded Abel.
‘Because the Richmond has been burned to the ground.’
They turned the corner of Drake Street, and Abel was faced head on with the smouldering shell of the Chicago Richmond Hotel. There were police cars, fire engines, charred wood and water flooding the street, while onlookers craned their necks from behind a barrier. Abel stared at the scorched remains of Davis Leroy’s flagship.
‘That’ll be two dollars,’ said the taxi driver.
The Pole is wise when the damage is done, thought Abel as he clenched his fist and started banging on his lame leg. He felt no pain - there was nothing left to feel.
‘You bastards!’ he shouted aloud. ‘I’ve been lower than this before, and I’ll still beat every one of you. Germans, Russians, Turks, that bastard Kane, and now this. Everyone. I’ll beat you all. Nobody kills Abel Rosnovski.’
The assistant manager saw Abel gesticulating by the cab and ran over to him. Abel forced himself to be calm.
‘Did everybody get out safely?’ were Abel’s first words.
‘Yes, thank God. The hotel was nearly empty, and luckily the fire started in the middle of the afternoon, so getting everybody out wasn’t a great problem. There were one or two minor injuries and burns - three people were taken to Chicago General - but there’s nothing for you to worry about on that count.’
‘Good, that’s a relief. Thank God the hotel was well insured - over a million, if I remember. We may yet be able to turn this disaster to our advantage.’
‘Not if what they’re suggesting in today’s papers is true.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Abel.
‘I’d rather you read it for yourself, boss.’
Abel walked over to the nearby newsstand and paid the boy two cents for the latest edition of the Chicago Tribune.
The banner headline told it all: RICHMOND HOTEL BLAZE - ARSON SUSPECTED.
Abel shook his head incredulously. ‘Can anything else go wrong?’ he muttered.
‘Got yourself a problem?’ the newsboy asked.
‘A little one,’ said Abel, and returned to his assistant manager.
‘Who’s in charge of the police inquiry?’
‘That officer over there, leaning on the patrol car,’ said the assistant manager, pointing to a prematurely balding man with deep sunken eyes. ‘His name’s Lieutenant O’Malley.’
‘It would be,’ said Abel. ‘Tell the staff I’ll see them all in the annexe at ten o’clock tomorrow morning. If anybody wants me before then, I’ll be staying at the Stevens.’
‘Will do, boss.’
Abel walked over to Lieutenant O’Malley and introduced himself.
The policeman stooped slightly and shook hands with him. ‘Ah, the long-lost ex-manager has returned to his charred remains.’
‘I don’t find that funny, officer,’ said Abel.
‘I’m sorry, sir,’ he said. ‘It isn’t funny. It’s been a long night. Let’s go and have a drink.’
He took Abel by the elbow and guided him across Michigan Avenue to a corner diner, where he ordered two milk shakes.
Abel laughed when the white, frothy mixture was put in front of him. Since he had never had a childhood, it was his first milk shake.
‘I know. It’s funny, everybody in this city is secretly drinking bourbon and beer,’ said the policeman, ‘so someone has to play it straight. In any case, Prohibition isn’t going to last forever, and then my troubles will really begin, because the mobsters are going to discover that I really do like milk shakes.’
Abel laughed for a second time.
‘Now to your problems, Mr Rosnovski. First, I have to tell you I don’t think you have a snowball’s chance in hell of picking up the insurance money on your hotel. The fire experts have gone over the remains of the building, and found the place was soaked in kerosene. No attempt to even disguise it. There were traces of the stuff all over the basement. One match and it would have gone up like a Roman candle.’
‘Do you have any idea who’s responsible?’ asked Abel.
‘Let me ask the questions. Do you know anyone who might bear a grudge against the hotel, or against you personally?’
Abel grunted. ‘About fifty people, Lieutenant. I cleared out a real nest of vipers when I first arrived here. I can give you a list, if you think it might help.’
‘It might, but the way people are talking out there, I may not need it. If you pick up any definite information, let me know, Mr Rosnovski, because I warn you, you have enemies.’
‘Anyone in particular?’ asked Abel.
‘Somebody is suggesting that you did it because you lost everything in the crash, and needed the insurance money.’
Abel leaped off his stool.
‘Calm down, calm down. I know you’ve been in Boston all day, and more important, you have a reputation in Chicago for building hotels up, not burning them down. But someone did set fire to the Richmond and you can bet your ass I’m going to find out who. Let’s leave it at that for the moment.’ He swivelled off his own stool. ‘The milk shake’s on me, Mr Rosnovski. I may call in a favour from you at some time in the future.’
As the two men walked towards the door, the policeman smiled at the girl who took his fifty cents, admiring her ankles and cursing the new fashion for long skirts. ‘Keep the change, honey,’ he said.
‘A big thank you,’ the girl replied.
‘Nobody appreciates me,’ said the lieutenant.
Abel laughed for a third time, which he would not have thought possible half an hour before.
‘By the way,’ O’Malley added as they reached the door. ‘The insurance people are looking for you. I can’t remember the name of the guy, but I guess he’ll find you soon enough. Don’t get angry with him if he suggests you were involved. Who can blame him? Keep in touch, Mr Rosnovski - I’ll be wanting to talk to you again, when the milk shakes will be on you.’
Abel watched as the lieutenant vanished into the crowd of spectators, then walked slowly to the Stevens Hotel and booked himself in for the night. The desk clerk, who had already checked in most of the Richmond’s guests, couldn’t suppress a smile at booking the manager in as well.
Once he was alone in his room, Abel sat down and wrote a long letter to Mr William Kane, giving him whatever details about the fire he could supply, and telling him that he intended to use his unexpected freedom to make a tour of the other hotels in the group. He saw no point in hanging around in Chicago warming himself on the Richmond’s embers in the vain hope that someone would come along and bail him out.
After a first-class breakfast at the Stevens the next morning - it always made Abel feel good to be in a well-run hotel - he withdrew $5,000 in cash from the hotel account and gave every member of his staff two weeks’ wages, telling them they could stay on at the annexe for at least a month, or until they had found new jobs. He then walked over to the Continental Trust to apprise Curtis Fenton of Kane and Cabot’s attitude - or to be more accurate, of William Kane’s attitude. He added, without a great deal of hope, that he was looking for a buyer for the Richmond Group at $2 million.
‘That fire isn’t going to help us, but I’ll see what I can do,’ said Fenton, sounding far more positive than Abel had expected. ‘At the time you bought the twenty-five per cent from Miss Leroy, I told you I thought the hotels were a valuable asset. Despite the crash I see no reason to change my mind about that, Mr Rosnovski. I’ve watched you running your hotel for nearly two years now, and I’d back you if the decision were left to me personally, but I fear the bank would never agree to support the Richmond Group. We’ve been aware of the financial shenanigans for far too long to have any faith in the group’s future, and that fire was the last straw. Nevertheless, I do have some outside contacts, and I’ll see if they can do anything to help. You may have more admirers in this city than you realize, Mr Rosnovski.’
30
ABEL DROVE SOUTH in the Buick he’d bought just before the market crashed. He’d decided to begin his tour of the group with the St Louis Richmond.
The trip to all the hotels in the group took nearly four weeks, and although most of them were run-down and, without exception, losing money, none of them was, in Abel’s view, a hopeless case. They all had good locations; some were even the best-placed hotel in the city. Old man Leroy must have been a shrewder man than his son, thought Abel. He checked every hotel’s insurance policy carefully; no problems there. When he finally reached the Dallas Richmond, the last stop on his itinerary, he was certain that anyone who managed to buy the group for $2 million would be making a sound investment and, if they decided to employ him, he knew exactly what needed to be done to make the group profitable.
On his return to Chicago he once again checked into the Stevens. There were several messages awaiting him. Lieutenant O’Malley wanted him to contact him soonest. So did William Kane, Curtis Fenton, and finally a Mr Henry Osborne. He began with the law, and arranged to meet O’Malley at the diner on Michigan Avenue.
Abel sat on a stool with his back to the counter, staring across the street at the charred remains of the Richmond Hotel while he waited for the lieutenant. O’Malley was a few minutes late, and didn’t bother to apologize as he took the next stool and swivelled round to face Abel.
‘You owe me a favour,’ said the lieutenant, ‘and nobody in Chicago gets away with owing O’Malley a milk shake.’
Abel ordered two, one giant, one regular.
‘What did you find out?’ asked Abel as he passed the detective two red-and-white-striped straws.
‘The boys from the fire department were right - it was arson. We’ve arrested a guy called Desmond Pacey, who turns out to be the old manager of the Richmond. That was in your time, right?’
‘I’m afraid it was,’ said Abel.
‘Why do you say that?’ asked the lieutenant.
‘I sacked Pacey for embezzling. He said he’d get even with me if it was the last thing he did. I didn’t pay any attention - I’ve faced too many threats in my life, Lieutenant, to take any of them seriously, especially from a creep like Pacey.’
‘Well, I have to tell you we’ve taken him seriously, and so have the insurance people, because they won’t be paying out one cent until it’s proved there was no collusion between you and Pacey.’
‘That’s all I need at the moment,’ said Abel. ‘But how can you be so sure it was Pacey?’
‘He showed up at the casualty ward of the nearest hospital, the same day as the fire, with severe burns on his hands and chest. He came clean pretty quick,
but I couldn’t be sure what his motive was until now. So that just about wraps the case up, Mr Rosnovski.’
The lieutenant sucked on his straw until a loud gurgle convinced him he had drained the last drop.
‘Another shake?’ asked Abel.
‘No, I’d better not. I promised my wife I’d cut down.’ He stood up. ‘Good luck, Mr Rosnovski. If you can prove to the insurance boys that you had no involvement with Pacey, you’ll get your money. I’ll do everything I can to help if the case ever gets to court. Keep in touch.’
Abel watched the detective disappear through the door. He gave the waitress a dollar. Once he was back on the sidewalk, Abel stood and stared into space, a space where the Richmond Hotel had been less than a month ago. He turned and walked back to the Stevens.
There was another message from Henry Osborne, still giving no clue as to who he was. There was only one way to find out. Abel called the number, and was put through to the claims inspector of the Great Western Casualty Insurance Company. He made an appointment to see Osborne at noon. He then called William Kane in Boston and gave him a report on all the hotels in the group.
‘And may I say again, Mr Kane, that I could turn those hotels’ losses into profits if your bank would just give me the chance. What I did in Chicago, I know I can do for the rest of the group.’
‘Possibly you could, Mr Rosnovski, but I’m afraid it won’t be with Kane and Cabot’s money. May I remind you that you have only a few days left in which to find a backer? Good day, sir.’
‘Ivy League snob,’ said Abel after the line had gone dead. ‘I’m not classy enough for your money, am I? Some day, you bastard …’
The next item on Abel’s agenda was the insurance man.
Kane and Abel Page 27
