— Yes sir I’ve called Mister Bast a number of times at a number given me by Mister Crawley but the secretary who answers sounds, frankly sir she sounds like she’d never got past fourth grade, Mister Bast always seems to have just stepped away from his desk and has never returned a call. Another number given me by this Piscator person for Mister Bast’s uptown headquarters office is evidently incorrect, a young lady who answered told me to ah, simply replied with an obscenity and hung up, the only other number I’ve been given proved to be a pay telephone somewhere on Long Island and…
— Say you think this Bast’s their executive officer who the devil’s running things.
— Yes sir that’s the number that proved to be the pay telephone, their organization seems to be so elusive that even the heads of their newly acquired divisions are of no help, in fact the president of X–L Lithography whose name I don’t recall sounded like he might have been drinking and the man who appears to be in charge of Eagle Mills seemed grateful to find someone to complain to, apparently some union trouble has risen over the removal of some looms and this brewery acquisition met prominent stockholder opposition, although his main concern seemed to be for a softbal! team which…
— Damn it Beaton stir things up a little up there bring the whole damn umbrella down around their ears.
— Yes sir that occurred to me but I learned that immediately after taking over Eagle they made a substantial management loan which would have to be called if they were deposed, since they represent the management to whom the loan was made, and of course Eagle Mills is in no position to…
— Got them by the short hair… The white handkerchief came unfurling from the breast pocket and burst as though caught on a sudden gust, — maybe not so damn stupid at that… and he blew, hard. — First thing I want cleaned up’s these damn mining claims Beaton get Frank Black’s office on it find out if they’re worth the damn paper they’re written on, this outfit’s in there on mineral exploration just to cut timber get hold of Monty, Interior serve them with an injunction maybe they’ll be ready to do business, when Broos calls get him onto that old sheep state what the devil’s his name, whole thing right out there in his neighborhood…
— Senator Milliken yes sir, in fact according to our sources they already appear to be in contact with him, it appears that certain sheep membranes play a part in brewery filtration processes which…
— Milliken by God that’s the one, nose up under the buffalo’s tail closer than that damn Indian’s smell a nickel a mile away, damn it Beaton trip on this nickel and dime outfit wherever we step I want the whole story on them hear me…? and the handkerchief spread open as though for contemplation of its contents crumpled abruptly, — report like this just a lot of damn newspaper clippings I want facts Beaton, facts.
— Yes sir as soon as we’ve established their telephones I’d intended asking your authorization to…
— Don’t ask my authorization damn it Beaton don’t tell me what you’re doing just do it, here give me that… hello? Broos…? Who…? No no wait a minute here Beaton take this, make it short.
— Yes sir. Hello…? Oh, oh yes go ahead… yes you mean this just happened? was the boy’s… Yes but was the boy’s mother aware of… No I’d better get in touch with her myself I think she may be quite upset, thank you for calling immediately…
— What the devil’s going on up there now.
— They said Mister Joubert simply came up to the school this morning and took Francis out and drove him away, I’m sure Mrs Joubert will be extremely…
— By God of all the damn, get the police on him.
— Yes sir I’ll apply for a court order immediately I know Mrs Joubert was apprehensive about him taking the boy to Switzerland during our negotiations over Nobili and…
— Damn fool thought we’d let him hold us up on Nobili to protect these U S drug patents…
— Yes Beaton where’s my Bananx.
— Coming back to join us Zona just pull up a pew and be quiet, what the devil’s she talking about Beaton.
— Yes I have it right here ma’am it’s a tranquillizer marketed by our drug interest sir, one of the…
— One they had us up on that patent fraud charge for?
— Tranylcypromine yes sir, one of the monoamine-oxidase inhibitors included in the…
— Beaton just give it to me and don’t sit there with your…
— Drag in here just to get it free Zona knew you were cheap by God didn’t know you were that cheap, Beaton still have a minute here get back to that little wop up in the legislature…
— Yes that folder right there sir he…
— No Beaton I said put it there with my coat and John just hold your water if you still have a bladder to hold it in, sitting there like a windup toy with somebody else’s eyes and somebody else’s ears and try to tell me what I…
— Beaton Zona damn it be quiet Beaton sit down, saw all this trash in the newspapers one wop throws another one a few highway contracts gets him a few building variances nickel and dime politics hope you don’t call this information.
— No sir except insofar as these variances have affected mortgages issued by the local bank which now appears to be in severe difficulties over these and other unwise extensions of credit, including an unsecured loan to the contractor in question who our sources inform us has recently had recourse to a loan shark to satisfy this and the prospect of several lawsuits which threaten to…
— Banker there sounds like a damn fool.
— That would be my impression yes sir, I am also informed he appears to have made a gift of a substantial number of the bank’s shares to the wife of this Mister Pecci possibly in connection with a corporation formed in both their wives’ names to collect fees under contract with the same contractor under a leasing arrangement involving the local town dock, though since Mister Pecci’s association with the title company set up by his law firm specifically to insure the affected mortgages seems to be sub…
— Bank still hold them all?
— No sir they appear to have been bought as an investment by a teachers’ union which this current publicity has prompted to bring pressure on…
— Not too damn much to go after him with, scandal probably be gone the minute the damn leftwing press finds a new one to take its place, legislature get up and give him a vote of confidence all doing the same damn thing his wife’s bank stock may be the only leverage we’ve got.
— Yes sir of course if that became known, aside from probable grand jury proceedings merely the rather dubious ethics involved could severely injure his campaign for the…
— Not talking about any damn ethics Beaton talking about the price of the damn stock, bank going under might see the only damn way to save it’s let us bail them out, pass this legislation and the damn fool running the bank will probably take any offer we make him.
— Yes sir though the possibility of his also stipulating a management contract could…
— First damn head to fall get him something in Washington if we have to, this bank merger bill ready for the legislature?
— Yes sir I incorporated your changes in the earlier version and sent a copy to your office by messenger this morning before I…
— Get Frank Wiles on this bank stock put some pressure on it.
— Yes sir I, excuse me… hello? Oh yes thank you. General Blaufinger is in the board room sir, and there was one more urgent item concerning the Senate vote tomorrow affirming support for continued importation of nickel and the native platinum metals from Gandia in the face of yesterday’s United Nations resolution supporting the stand of the Nowunda…