I nearly said that must be nice for him, but instead I said. ‘Is that right?’
‘That’s right Mr. Crane. Mrs. Essex asked me to come here and thank you for finding her horse.’
‘How is she?’
He edged further into the room and slowly settled himself in a lounging chair. It creaked under his weight.
‘She had quite a fall, but you know about that.’ He shook his turnip head, and his fat face expressed sorrow. ‘Well, she could be worse. Slight concussion, but nothing really serious.’
‘Fine. When I saw her come down I thought she had broken her back.’
He winced.
‘Happily no.’
He crossed one enormous leg over the other and seeing that he was making himself comfortable, I took a chair opposite him.
‘It was very thoughtful of you, Mr. Crane, to go searching for her horse,’ he went on. ‘No one seemed to have thought of it. Her horse is important to her.’
I let that one drift and waited.
‘Mrs. Essex is appreciative.’
I let that one drift too.
He studied his beautifully manicured finger nails, then shot me a sudden hard look.
‘You work here, Mr. Crane?’
Here it comes, I thought. This fat fink isn’t wasting time on me.
‘You could say that.’
He nodded.
‘Yes.’ A pause. ‘You don’t appear on our payroll, Mr. Crane, yet you tell me you are working for us.’
I put a blank look on my face.
‘I didn’t say that, Mr. Jackson. I’m working for Colonel Olson.’ He nibbled at his thumbnail while he stared at me.
‘Colonel Olson engaged you?’
‘Maybe I’d better explain.’ I gave him my frank expression with a slight apologetic smile. It didn’t seem to make any impact on him but I couldn’t imagine anything making an impact on him. ‘Colonel Olson and I served together in Saigon. He flew a bomber. I kept him flying.’ I was speaking very casually. ‘I heard he was working for Mr. Essex and as I was looking for something to do and as he and I got along fine together I wrote, asking him if he could get me a job here. He wrote back and said there was nothing at the moment but if I were free, how would I like to come here and help out on the runway. He said he could give me a cabin and food, but there would be no money. I could look on it as a vacation. He said later he would talk to the staff manager and maybe there would be a vacancy. I was bored staying at home. I have my Army gratuity and I wanted to see Paradise City and I wanted very much to see Colonel Olson again... he’s a fine man. Mr. Jackson, but I don’t have to tell you that... so... here I am.’
He nodded his turnip head several times and his little eyes half closed.
‘I’m afraid Colonel Olson is at fault. He had no business having you here: no business at all.’
I didn’t say anything.
‘This is most irregular.’ He frowned. ‘Perhaps you don’t realise it. Everyone who works for us is insured. Suppose you met with an accident on the runway? You could sue us out of sight and we wouldn’t be covered.’
‘Is that right?’ I gave him my humble, blank face. ‘I’m sure Colonel Olson never thought of that nor did I.’
He seemed to like my humble face better than my frank face for his tight little lips lifted into what I suppose he imagined to be a smile.
‘I can see that. Colonel Olson is a good pilot, but he is no businessman. What exactly are you doing on the runway?’
‘I’m working under O’Brien. I keep the bulldozers in operation. The crew don’t know about engines.’
The smile went away.
‘But isn’t that O’Brien’s job?’
‘He’s taking care of the blasting. Colonel Olson thought it would save time for me to take care of the bulldozers. I understand the runway has to be gotten ready fast.’
‘I’m quite aware of the need to get the runway finished.’ The steel in his voice warned me I was talking too much.
‘I’m sure, Mr. Jackson. I was just trying to explain.’
‘We must regularize this business. Please report to the staff office and they will sign you on as one of the crew. You will be paid the usual union rates and you will be insured.’
‘Thank you for the suggestion, but I won’t do that. You see, Mr. Jackson, I am on vacation. I’m not looking for that kind of work. I like messing around with engines but not for long. I was just helping the Colonel and enjoying myself.’
This threw him. He stiffened and stared at me.
‘You mean you don’t want to work for us?’
‘Not as a ganger. I’m a fully qualified aero-engineer.’
His eyebrows crawled almost into his black hair.
‘A fully qualified aero-engineer?’
‘That’s correct. Before Vietnam, I was with Lockheed.’
He began nibbling at his thumb nail again.
‘I see.’ He paused, then went on, ‘Mrs. Essex is pleased with you Crane. Perhaps we could find a place here in your own line. Would that interest you?’
I noted he had dropped the ‘mister.’
I had a sudden idea he wouldn’t be wasting his busy time with me unless he had to. Mrs. Essex is pleased with you. That gave me the clue. This fat fink had been sent by her to do something for me in return for finding her horse. It was a guess, but I felt it was a good one.
‘That depends on the job and the pay.’
He recrossed his legs. I saw by the sour expression on his face he hated me the way a snake hates a mongoose.
‘Could you service a Condor XJ 7?’
‘I’m a fully qualified aero-engineer,’ I told him. ‘That means I can handle any kite, providing I have a good working crew.’
‘I see.’
I had him fazed. I could tell that by the way he again recrossed his legs and again took a nibble at his thumbnail.
‘Well...’
A long pause, then he got to his feet.
‘I must see what I can do. You would like to work for us?’
‘As I said: it would depend on the pay and the job.’
He peered at me.
‘What did Lockheed pay you?’
‘Twenty, but that was four years ago.’
He nodded. I was certain he would contact Lockheed and check, but that didn’t worry me. I was a white-headed boy with Lockheed four years ago. I knew they would root for me.
‘Oblige me by staying away from the runway,’ he said as he moved to the door. ‘Please make yourself quite at home. I will tell the staff manager that you can enjoy all our facilities. I must talk to Mr. Essex.’
‘I wouldn’t want to stick around here, doing nothing for long Mr. Jackson.’
Again he peered at me as if I were a reptile behind glass.
‘You will have a car at your disposal. Why not enjoy the city?’ I could see he was hating this. ‘Go to the staff office. Mr. Macklin will provide you with funds.’ His mouth pursed as if he had bitten into a quince. ‘It’s Mrs. Essex’s wish.’
I gave him my graven image face.
‘That’s nice of her.’
He stalked out of the cabin, climbed into a Bentley coupe, driven by a negro chauffeur in the Essex bottle green uniform and was driven away.
Pam came out of the shower room. She stood staring at me, her eyes wide.
‘I’d never have believed it!’ she said breathlessly. ‘I don’t know what Bernie will say.’
I lit a cigarette, my mind busy.
‘Jack! Bernie will be furious.’
I looked at her. She now bored me.
‘Run away, baby. I have thinking to do.’
‘Listen to me...!’ she began, her eyes snapping with rage.
‘You heard me. Piss off I have thinking to do.’
‘Bernie made a mistake,’ she said, her voice unsteady, her face white. ‘Do him a favour. Get out of here! We’ll find someone else! If you really are Bernie’s friend, get out and fast!’
I regarded her.