Kane & Abel (1979) (74 page)

‘Mr Frank Hogan to see you, sir.’

Abel sprang out of his chair. ‘Come in, Mr Hogan,’ he said, slapping the conservatively dressed young man on the back. ‘How are you?’

‘Sorry I’m late, Mr Rosnovski,’ said the unmistakably Bostonian voice.

‘I didn’t notice,’ said Abel. ‘Would you care for a drink?’

‘No, thank you, Mr Rosnovski. I try not to drink when I have so many appointments in one day.’

‘Absolutely right. I hope you won’t mind if I have one,’ said Abel. ‘I’m not planning on seeing a lot of people today.’

Hogan laughed like a man who knew he was in for a day of listening to other people’s jokes.

Abel poured himself a whiskey. ‘Now, what can I do for you, Mr Hogan?’

‘Well, Mr Rosnovski, we were hoping the Party could count on your support once again.’

‘I’ve always been a Democrat, as you know, Mr Hogan. I supported Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Adlai Stevenson, although I couldn’t understand what Stevenson was talking about half the time.’ Both men laughed falsely. ‘I also helped my old friend Dick Daley in Chicago, and I’ve been backing young Ed Muskie - the son of a Polish immigrant, you know - since his campaign for Governor of Maine back in fifty-four.’

‘You’ve been a loyal supporter of the Party in the past, there’s no denying that, Mr Rosnovski,’ said Hogan, in a tone that indicated that the statutory time for small talk was over. ‘And we Democrats, not least former Congressman Osborne, have done the odd favour for you in return. I don’t think it’s necessary for me to go into any details concerning the little incident with Interstate Airways.’

‘That’s long past,’ said Abel, ‘and best forgotten.’

‘I agree,’ said Hogan. ‘But although I realize that most self-made multimillionaires wouldn’t care to have their affairs looked into too closely, you’ll appreciate that we have to be especially careful so near the election. Nixon would love a scandal to get his teeth into at this stage of the race.’

‘We understand each other clearly, Mr Hogan. Now that’s out of the way, how much were you expecting from me for the campaign?’

‘I need every penny I can lay my hands on.’ Hogan’s words were clipped and confident. ‘Nixon’s gathering a lot of support across the country, and it’s going to be a very close run thing, especially in your home state of Illinois.’

‘Well,’ said Abel, ‘I’ll support Kennedy if he supports me. It’s as simple as that.’

‘He’d be delighted to support you, Mr Rosnovski. We all know you’re a pillar of the Polish community, and Senator Kennedy is aware of the brave stand you took on behalf of your countrymen who are in labour camps behind the Iron Curtain, not to mention the service you gave in the war. I’ve been authorized to let you know that the candidate has already agreed to open your new hotel in Los Angeles on his next campaign trip to California.’

‘That’s good news,’ said Abel.

‘The senator is also fully aware of your desire to see Poland granted most favoured nation status in foreign trade with the United States.’

‘It’s no more than we deserve after our sacrifices in the war,’ said Abel. He paused briefly. ‘What about the other little matter?’

‘Senator Kennedy is canvassing Polish-American opinion on that subject, but we haven’t met with any objections so far. Naturally he can’t come to a decision before he’s elected.’

‘Naturally. Would two hundred and fifty thousand dollars help him make that decision?’

Frank Hogan smiled, but didn’t reply.

‘Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars it is then,’ said Abel. ‘The money will be in your campaign fund by the end of the week, Mr Hogan.’

The business was over, the bargain struck. Abel rose from behind his desk. ‘Please give Senator Kennedy my best wishes, and tell him I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he becomes the next President of the United States. I’ve loathed Richard Nixon since his despicable treatment of Helen Gahagan Douglas, and I have personal reasons for not wanting Henry Cabot Lodge as vice president.’

‘I’ll be delighted to pass on your message,’ said Hogan. ‘Thank you for your continued support of the Democratic Party and, in particular, of the candidate.’ He thrust out his hand, and Abel grasped it.

‘Keep in touch, Mr Hogan. I don’t part with that sort of money without expecting a return on my investment.’

‘I fully understand.’

Abel accompanied him to the elevator, and returned to his office with a smile on his face. He picked up the phone on his desk.

‘Ask Mr Novak to join me.’

George came through from his office on the other side of the corridor a few moments later.

‘If Jack Kennedy becomes President, I think it’s in the bag, George.’

‘Congratulations, Abel, I’m delighted. It will be the fulfilment of one of your greatest dreams. How proud Florentyna will be of you.’

Abel smiled when he heard his daughter’s name. ‘Do you know what the little minx has been up to?’ he said, laughing. ‘Did you see last Friday’s
Los Angeles Times
?’

George shook his head and Abel passed him a copy of the newspaper. A half-page photograph was circled in red ink. George read the caption aloud: ‘
Florentyna Kane opens her third Floren-tyna’s shop in LA
. Great photo,’ said George.

‘She’s hoping to open a fourth before the end of the year,’ said Abel. ‘Florentyna’s are fast becoming to California what Balenciaga is to Paris.’

George laughed as he handed back the paper.

‘I can’t wait for her to open a Florentyna’s in New York, probably on Fifth Avenue,’ said Abel. ‘I’ll bet she does it within five years, ten at the most. Do you want to take another bet on that, George?’

‘I didn’t take the first one, if you remember, Abel. Otherwise I’d already have been out ten dollars.’

Abel looked up, his voice quieter. ‘Do you think she’d come and see Senator Kennedy open the new Baron in Los Angeles, George?’

‘Not unless her husband is invited as well.’

‘Never,’ said Abel. ‘That boy is nothing. I read your last report. He’s left the Bank of America to work with Florentyna; couldn’t even hold down a good job.’

‘You’re becoming a very selective reader, Abel. You know that’s not the way it was. Kane’s in charge of the company finances, while Florentyna runs the shops. Don’t forget that Wells Fargo offered him a job running their acquisitions department, but Florentyna begged him to turn them down and join her. Abel, you’ll have to face the fact that their marriage is a success. I know it’s hard for you to stomach, but why don’t you climb down off your high horse and meet the boy?’

‘You’re my closest friend, George. No one else in the world would dare to speak to me like that. So no one knows better than you why I can’t climb down, not until that bastard William Kane shows he’s willing to meet me halfway. I won’t crawl again while he’s alive to revel in it.’

‘What if you were to die first, Abel? You and he are exactly the same age.’

‘Then I’d be the loser, and Florentyna would inherit everything.’

‘You told me she wasn’t going to get a thing. You were going to alter your will in favour of your grandson.’

‘I couldn’t do it, George. When the time came to sign the document, I just couldn’t do it. What the hell - that damned grandson is going to end up with both our fortunes.’

He removed a wallet from his inside pocket, shuffled through several old photos of Florentyna, took out a more recent one and passed it to George.

‘Good-looking little boy,’ said George.

‘Sure is,’ said Abel. ‘The image of his mother.’

George laughed. ‘You never give up, do you, Abel?’

‘What do you think they call him?’

‘What do you mean?’ said George. ‘You know very well what his name is.’

‘I mean, what do you think they actually call him?’

‘How should I know?’ said George.

‘Find out,’ said Abel. ‘I care.’

‘How am I supposed to do that?’ said George. ‘Have someone follow them while they’re pushing the pram around Golden Gate Park?’

‘I’m sure you’ll find a way, George,’ said Abel. ‘Now, have you heard anything recently from Peter Parfitt?’

‘Yes, he’s been showing a little more interest in parting with his two per cent of Lester’s, but I wouldn’t trust Henry with the negotiations. With those two working on the sale, everybody will be in on the deal except you, so perhaps I ought to close the transaction on your behalf?’

‘Don’t do anything for the moment,’ said Abel. ‘Much as I hate Kane, I don’t want any trouble until we know if Kennedy’s won the election. If Nixon wins, I’ll buy Parfitt’s two per cent the same day and go ahead with the plan we discussed. And don’t worry about Henry - I’ve taken him off the Kane case. From now on I’m handling it myself.’

‘I do worry,’ said George. ‘He’s in debt to half the bookmakers in Chicago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he turned up in New York on the scrounge any day now.’

‘Henry won’t be bothering me again. I made it crystal clear when I last saw him that he wasn’t going to get another dime out of me. If he does come begging, he’ll lose his seat on the board and that’s his only source of income.’

‘That’s exactly why I’m worried,’ said George. ‘What if he became so desperate that he went to Kane for money.’

‘That’s impossible, George. Henry hates Kane even more than I do.’

‘How can you be so sure of that?’

‘Kane’s mother was Henry’s second wife,’ said Abel, ‘and when Kane was only sixteen, he threw Henry out of his own home.’

‘Good God, how did you come across that piece of information?’

‘There’s nothing I don’t know about William Kane,’ said Abel, ‘or Henry Osborne, for that matter. Absolutely nothing. And I’d be willing to bet my good leg there’s nothing he doesn’t know about me. So we just have to be patient for the time being, but there’s not a chance of Henry turning stool pigeon. He’d die before he’d admit his real name is Vittorio Togna and he once served a jail sentence for fraud.’

‘Does Henry realize you know all this?’

‘No. I’ve kept it to myself for years. If you think a man might threaten you in the future, George, be sure you know everything about his past. I’ve never trusted Henry since the day he suggested swindling Great Western Casualty while he was still employed by them, although I’d be the first to admit he’s been very useful to me over the years. But I’m also confident he isn’t going to cause me any trouble in the future. So let’s forget Henry and be a little more positive. What’s the expected date for the completion of the Los Angeles Baron?’

‘Middle of September.’

‘Perfect. Just a few weeks before the election. When Kennedy opens the hotel, it will be on every front page in America.’

When William returned to New York after a bankers’ conference in Washington, he found a message on his desk, requesting that he contact Thaddeus Cohen immediately. The name always made him feel apprehensive, because Cohen was rarely the bearer of good news.

William hadn’t spoken to him for some time, because Abel Rosnovski had caused no problems since the abortive telephone conversation on the eve of Richard and Florentyna’s marriage, over four years ago. The successive quarterly reports had merely confirmed that Rosnovski wasn’t trying to buy or to sell any of the bank’s stock. Nevertheless, William rang Cohen on his private line. The lawyer informed him that he had stumbled across a piece of information he did not wish to discuss over the phone. William invited him to come to the bank as soon as it was convenient.

Cohen arrived in William’s office forty minutes later. William heard him out in attentive silence.

When Cohen had finished, William said, ‘Your father would never have approved of such methods.’

‘Neither would yours,’ responded Cohen, ‘but then they didn’t have to deal with the likes of Abel Rosnovski.’

‘What makes you think your plan will work?’

‘Consider the Sherman Adams case. Only one thousand six hundred and forty-two dollars in hotel bills and a vicun a coat, but it sure embarrassed the hell out of the administration, because Adams was a Presidential assistant. We know Rosnovski is aiming a lot higher than that. So it should be even easier to bring him down.’

‘How much is this going to cost me?’