‘What was Stevenson’s name?’ she said. ‘His first name?’ Charlie Mandrake shrugged. ‘We called him Steve. Never thought about a first name.’
‘What was he, a newsman?’
‘He was a sort of hustler. I think he was into whatever made him some money. He came over as a freelance newsman, but he never got near the bamboo.’ Charlie swigged hard at his Scotch. ‘Old Tron warned me you could be interested in something other than collector’s items. What is it? Stevenson himself?’
She nodded. ‘Stevenson himself,’ she said. ‘What was he like?’ Charlie strolled across the big room. ‘A bucket of charm. When he laughed the world laughed with him.’
‘And when it didn’t?’
Charlie swung round savagely. ‘The guy made snuff movies, for Christ’s sake. Real snuff movies. Doesn’t that say it all?’
‘Are you going to help me, Charlie?’
‘You want him? Right?’
‘I want him.’
He stood looking down at her, twisting his tumbler in his hand, until her relentless stare made him turn away. ‘OK, Nan Luc,’ he said. ‘I won’t ask what happens when you find him.’
She waited while he poured himself another Scotch. ‘Did you ever use the Eros Bar?’ she asked him.
He came across the room, his drink in his hand. ‘Not a lot. The MPs swept it pretty regular. Guys like me, deserters, we mostly stayed way over in Cholon.’
‘Did you know a girl named Louise at the Eros?’
‘Louise Hyn? She worked on camera couple of times with me. We knew each other, yes.’ He laughed. ‘Then she got herself an MP and a ticket to New York.’
‘I think she lives in New York now?’
He swung himself up to sit on the window shelf. ‘What’s Louise to you?’
‘Louise Hyn is my aunt. She could help me find Stevenson.’
‘Her husband’s a cop.’ Nan Luc shrugged. ‘Even now my life’s open to interpretation, Nan. I don’t want cops around me.’
‘Is it possible Louise kept contact with Stevenson?’
‘It’s possible.’ He hesitated. ‘OK, I used to see a girl named Mai Su. Vietnamese married to an Italian guy. Years ago, when I just came out of the stockade. I needed money and she offered me a few days’ work on camera. Needs must… She and I did a few numbers together. The earth didn’t move for the producer so he found himself another couple. I hadn’t seen Mai Bassano for years until a couple of months ago. Then I saw her twice.’ Nan waited. ‘Riding in an old convertible in the Bronx. I was over there a few mornings later looking over a property and I saw her again. This time she’s got my old co-star, Louise, in the passenger seat. They’re held at a stop light on the Grand Concourse.’
‘Did you speak to them?’
‘I was two floors up. I yelled down hullo to Mai Su, hullo to Louise. Mai Su waves. Louise looks up and I’ve known guys owe me money more pleased to see me.’
‘You don’t know where she lives?’ He shook his head. ‘Where can I find Mai Bassano?’
‘I’ve got nothing against Mai. I wouldn’t like to be married to her but I got nothing against her.’
‘Nor have I, Charlie,’ Nan said. ‘Nothing against Louise either.’
‘Just Stevenson.’
‘Just Stevenson.’
He nodded, taking a deep breath. ‘When I knew Mai her husband’s family ran a place called the Palermo Luncheonette over in the Italian neighbourhood, Belmont.’
The trees masking the parking lot at the Meyerick County Club were sparse and leafless. The wind that came off the Meyerick Hills brought the threat of snow. Local stations warned of only twenty-three shopping days to Christmas.
Every time the warm voice of DJ Artie Sandella reduced the shopping days by one, Cy’s stomach turned over. Twenty-three shopping days to Christmas. Twenty-two shopping days to the fund vote that could tear his life apart.
He was finding it more and more difficult now to read the thoughts of the fund trustees when he met them at the club or at one of the cocktail parties which were a feature of the long run up to Christmas in Meyerick County. Oliver Digweed was rock solid. But the Anderson brothers were as unpredictable as ever. And, most of all, Mary was not yet back from Europe.
Across the parking lot he saw the Reverend Hector Hand approach. ‘Hullo, Cy, hullo,’ he called from a few yards away. Then he dropped his voice conspiratorially, ‘I came down specially to see you,’ he said.
‘Let’s go in and have a drink, then,’ Cy steered him by the elbow towards the entrance to the club.
‘No, I won’t go in,’ Hector said. ‘I’ve got lunch in Meyerick. Let’s just talk out here.’
‘If that’s what you want. What’s on your mind, Hector?’ They began to pace the parking lot.
‘The annual meeting, Cy. Christmas Eve.’
‘What’s the problem, Hector? Savary is going to bleat a little more, Mrs Rose will look disapproving and we’ll be voted through.’
‘I saw George Savary last night. He came over to the church. We sat alone there and prayed for guidance.’ Cy pulled a face. ‘Guidance is what we need at the moment, Cy.’
‘Sure. What did Savary have to say?’
‘He said the course you were taking was both immoral and illegal.’
Cy pursed his lips. ‘Strong words.’
‘He says if it were not for people like myself and Mary Butler having voted for you last time, he would have gone to the police.’ Cy stopped pacing. ‘George Savary isn’t going to let this one go, Cy,’ Hector said anxiously.
‘Savary’s threatening you, Hector. You’re not the sort of man that takes threats.’
‘Of course not.’ Cy looked at the red face. He could read the honest uncertainty in the man’s expression. ‘Maybe we should put a moratorium on the clandestine donations.’
‘We decided to continue on down the road,’ Cy said. ‘It’s a course we chose together.’
‘Listen, Cy, this is what Savary plans to do. At the Christmas Eve meeting he is going to propose Fin Butler for president.’
‘Fin? Has he agreed?’
‘Apparently, yes.’
Cy put out a hand to steady himself against the top of a car. He knew now he was in desperate trouble. If Fin became president, if the flow of dollars stopped, the Vietnamese wouldn’t just sit back and accept the cut-off. If he couldn’t deliver, he would be exposed. The first thing anybody learnt about the Vietnamese was that they were utterly implacable.
‘George Savary’s talking to each member in private,’ Hector Hand said. ‘He says he thinks Mary will vote against you this time.’
‘Mary’s in Europe.’
‘She got back the beginning of the week.’
‘And didn’t call him.’
‘What are we going to do, Cy? I don’t like Savary’s talk of a scandal. He puts it in pretty strong terms. Not an accusation, you understand, but he thinks it’s scandalous to be paying Hanoi. Supporting them, he calls it. And frankly I couldn’t afford to be caught up in a scandal of any sort.’
‘What are you saying, Hector?’
‘I’m not being disloyal, Cy, but I guess what I’m saying is that talk of illegalities, of scandals, that sort of talk carries a lot of weight.’
‘A lot of weight,’ Cy agreed. ‘But if we don’t panic, this thing will go through smoothly enough. And next year maybe we’ll start reducing contributions, slowly phasing them out. How about that approach?’
‘It’s no good, Cy. We won’t carry the vote,’ Hector said, ‘unless Mary casts as she did last time.’
‘Hector,’ Cy put his arm round him, ‘I’m going to personally guarantee, and you can pass this on to our supporters, that Mary Butler will be voting for us.’