بخش 02 - فصل 10

10

William the Waiter returns with Drew’s check, and Drew tucks his American Express card into the leather folder. It will not be refused, he’s confident of that. He’s less sure about the other two cards, but he keeps the Amex relatively clean, because it’s the one he uses in business transactions.

Business hasn’t been so good over the last few years, although God knew it should have been. It should have been terrific, especially between 2008 and 2012, when the American economy fell into a sinkhole and couldn’t seem to climb back out. In such times the value of precious commodities – real things, as opposed to computer boops and bytes on the New York Stock Exchange – always went up. Gold and diamonds, yes, but also art, antiques, and rare books. Fucking Michael Jarrett in KC is now driving a Porsche. Drew has seen it on his Facebook page.

His thoughts turn to his second meeting with Peter Saubers. He wishes the kid hadn’t found out about the third mortgage; that had been a turning point. Maybe the turning point.

Drew’s financial woes go back to that damned James Agee book, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men. Gorgeous copy, mint condition, signed by Agee and Walker Evans, the man who’d taken the photographs. How was Drew supposed to know it had been stolen?

All right, he probably did know, certainly all the red flags were there and flying briskly, and he should have steered clear, but the seller had had no idea of the volume’s actual worth, and Drew had let down his guard a little. Not enough to get fined or thrown in jail, and thank Christ for that, but the results have been long-term. Ever since 1999 he’s carried a certain aroma with him to every convention, symposium, and book auction. Reputable dealers and buyers tend to give him a miss, unless – here is the irony – they’ve got something just a teensy bit sketchy they’d like to turn over for a quick profit. Sometimes when he can’t sleep, Drew thinks, They are pushing me to the dark side. It’s not my fault. Really, I’m the victim here.

All of which makes Peter Saubers even more important.

William comes back with the leather folder, face solemn. Drew doesn’t like that. Maybe the card has been refused after all. Then his favorite waiter smiles, and Drew releases the breath he’s been holding in a soft sigh.

‘Thanks, Mr Halliday. Always great to see you.’

‘Likewise, William. Likewise, I’m sure.’ He signs with a flourish and slides his Amex – a bit bowed but not broken – back into his wallet.

On the street, walking toward his shop (the thought that he might be waddling never crosses his mind), his thoughts turn to the boy’s second visit, which went fairly well, but not nearly as well as Drew had hoped and expected. At their first meeting, the boy had been so uneasy that Drew worried he might be tempted to destroy the priceless trove of manuscript he’d stumbled across. But the glow in his eyes had argued against that, especially when he talked about that second photocopy, with its drunken ramblings about the critics.

It’s alive, Saubers had said. That’s what I think.

And can the boy kill it? Drew asks himself as he enters his shop and turns the sign from CLOSED to OPEN. I don’t think so. Any more than he could let the authorities take all that treasure away, despite his threats.

Tomorrow is Friday. The boy has promised to come in immediately after school so they can conclude their business. The boy thinks it will be a negotiating session. He thinks he’s still holding some cards. Perhaps he is … but Drew’s are higher.

The light on his answering machine is blinking. It’s probably someone wanting to sell him insurance or an extended warranty on his little car (the idea of Jarrett driving a Porsche around Kansas City pinches momentarily at his ego), but you can never tell until you check. Millions are within his reach, but until they are actually in his grasp, it’s business as usual.

Drew goes to see who called while he was having his lunch, and recognizes Saubers’s voice from the first word.

His fists clench as he listens.