The Love Machine (75 page)

Judith sipped at the coffee. “Oh, Greg, you’re making too much of a fuss. The police let us all off. As a matter of fact, Robin brought me home.”

“He brought you home!”

“Yes, he had sobered up.” She heard the door chimes and rose hastily. “That’s probably Cliff. I don’t want him to see me.” She disappeared into the bedroom.

Cliff had all the newspapers. Gregory winced as he stared at the front pages. The big black headlines were all variations of the same theme:

LOVE MACHINE TURNS INTO WRECKING MACHINE
OVER NETWORK CHIEF’S WIFE.
A STONE’S FIST IS GRANITE.
THE NIGHT THE LOVE MACHINE RAN AMOK.

And each story was the same. Gregory studied the pictures. Everyone looked ready to fold except Robin. He appeared oddly undisturbed. There was even a slight grin on his face.

Cliff sat looking like a pallbearer. The doorbell rang constantly as bellboys delivered telegrams for Judith from her New York friends. It was close to noon in the East—the story and pictures were all over the country by now.

Gregory paced the room. “How did the newspapers get into the act?”

“Our man tipped them off,” Cliff said morosely. “He couldn’t know Judith was involved. He’s the one who’s been tailing Robin since he arrived.”

Judith emerged from the bedroom. She had put Covermark over the discoloration of her eye, and aside from her swollen lips she looked fairly presentable. She even managed a slight smile at Cliff. “Well, I’ve certainly seen how the other half lives. And every one of our friends has suddenly remembered we’re alive. Greg, would you believe they all think I’m glamorous? You should read these wires. Peggy Ashton wants to throw a big bash in our honor. She said I’m the woman of the century—having a man fight two men to get at me.” Her smile was actually one of childish delight.

“We’ve got to write some statement for the press,” Cliff said. “Of course Robin goes. It’s a shame it had to happen this way“—he tossed a glance toward Judith, who was busy opening the wires—”but at least we’ve got a legitimate excuse for the board of directors.”

“No. He stays.” Gregory said.

Both Judith and Cliff stared at him.

“We’ve got to clean this thing up. It has to be a big misunderstanding as far as we’re concerned. We’ll give out a statement that Robin never went after Judith, that she slipped and fell down the stairs. We’ll think of something.”

“We will not!” Judith stood up. “I’m not going to be written
about as if I were some idiot and make Robin a hero. He went after me and that’s that!” She stormed out of the room.

“She’s right,” Cliff said. “A denial will only give added life to the story. Fire Robin, and in a few days it will blow over.”

“He stays!
Put in a call to Danton Miller and offer him his old job back. Tell him he’ll work with Robin. They’ll both have equal power, and neither can make any decision without my approval. From here on I am in control.”

“Gregory, you must be mad. You’ve been looking for the chance to get rid of Robin. This is it!” Cliff argued.

“I wanted my network back, and I’ve got it. Besides, I asked Robin to take Judith to this party because Judith
wanted
to go. At least now she’ll stick with her own kind. But I’m not about to toss Robin to the wolves.”

“I think you’re making a big mistake,” Cliff said. “No other network will touch him now—he’s unemployable.”

“I’m not paying you for opinions,” Gregory snapped. “I pay you for legal advice. Robin Stone has contributed too much to IBC to be booted out for one crazy night. This will all cool down after a time. We’ll switch the board of directors meeting to the day after tomorrow. By then I’ll have boned up on the reports and I will present them! Have Dan fly in. He and Robin will sit behind me like two co-workers while I speak.”

Robin awoke to the banging on the door. He looked around … he was still lying across the bed. He felt rocky, but he made his way to the door. Cliff Dome stalked in and threw a batch of newspapers on the coffee table.

Robin picked them up. They were worse than he expected.

“I’ve just come from Gregory’s bungalow,” Cliff said.

Robin nodded. “I suppose he wants my resignation.”

“He sure as hell does, but he feels sorry for you. He’s hired Danton Miller to replace you, and you can stay on until you find something else. At least you’ll save face that way.”

Robin went to the desk and scratched out a few lines. “I think this is the way it’s done,” he said. “I have no contract. It ran out
some time ago… . Here is my resignation. You can witness it.” He handed Cliff the pen and the paper.

Cliff smiled. “May I say, I’ve waited a long time for this moment.”

“I’ll leave on the first flight I can catch. I’ll go to my office in New York and clear out my desk. And, Cliff—here are all the charts for the spring shows. Everything’s in there—ratings, future plans, the report I was going to give to the board of directors.” He handed him the attache case.

“I’ll send the case back to you in New York,” Cliff said.

“Keep it. You gave it to me as a Christmas present last year.” Then Robin walked to the door and held it open.

Gregory Austin stared at Robin’s resignation. He shook his head. “Did you tell him I wanted him to stay, Cliff?”

“He had it all written before I arrived,” Cliff said.

Gregory shrugged. “Well, he’s just signed himself out of television. Damn his pride. If he had stayed on and worked with Dan, this would have blown over… . Maybe I should talk to him.”

“You do, and I’ll walk out on you,” Judith said suddenly.

Both men looked at her in surprise.

“I want him out of our lives. I mean it, Gregory.”

Gregory nodded. “All right. Cliff, tell Dan everything is set. But I want Sammy Tebet to take Robin’s place. Sammy’s a good man—nothing like Robin, but then I doubt if there will ever be anyone like him.”

“Then why have him if you have Dan?” Judith asked.

Gregory smiled. “I want two men there, two of them who will be at each other’s throats.”

Cliff nodded and left the suite.

Robin was packed. He started to leave, then came back and picked up the phone. The operator said, “Oh, Mr. Stone, there have been hundreds of calls for you. Every newspaper has called, and there’s a man from
Time
with a photographer waiting in the
lobby. If you like, there’s a way out on Crescent Drive—you can duck them—”

“Thanks, honey. Will you get me the Melton Towers? It’s an apartment house, but it has a switchboard.”

“Yes, we know the number. And, Mr. Stone, I just want to tell you that I think you’re wonderful no matter what the newspapers say. It’s unusual these days to read about a man who fights two men to get a woman he wants. I think it’s romantic.” She giggled, then rang the Melton Towers.

Maggie came on after two rings. Her voice was heavy with sleep. He realized she had probably not heard the news. “Wake up, sleepyhead, you’re supposed to be at the studio for the game shows, aren’t you?”

“Not until one—
Robin!”
She was suddenly wide-awake. “You’re calling. Does that mean—?”

“It means I’m leaving for New York, Maggie, on the one o’clock plane.”

There was a long pause, then she said, “Is that what you’re calling about?”

“Yes. And, well, I just wanted you to know I didn’t—” He stopped.

Suddenly it didn’t seem important to tell her he hadn’t gone on the make for Judith or hit her. Somehow he knew Maggie would understand. He just wanted her to know he wasn’t running off without saying goodbye. “Maggie, you see, I—”

But the phone was dead. She had hung up.

THIRTY

December 1968

D
IP
Nelson rushed off to lunch at Sardi’s carrying
Variety
. As he entered, he felt a new sense of power. He was Dip Nelson, Broadway producer, and Robin Stone was just a name from the dim past; it was a year since the big scandal and no one knew what had happened to Robin. He had just vanished. But the Big Dipper never struck out. He had come back. Maybe not as a performer, but as a top Broadway producer. Joe Katz had no alternative but to make him co-producer if he wanted Pauli as the star. And they had the biggest hit on Broadway. He stopped at each table and showed everyone the grosses in
Variety
. Everyone at Sardi’s listened. They had all seen the story in
Variety
, they all knew Pauli was the greatest, and they also knew she was having an affair with her leading man.

Christie Lane sat on the plane and looked at
Variety
. His face broke into a broad grin. Then he tore out the clipping. “What is it?” Ethel asked.

He showed it to her:

L.A. to N.Y
.
Christie Lane
Ethel Lane
Christie Lane, Jr.

He folded it and put it in his wallet. “His first
Variety
clipping for his scrapbook. I’m putting it beside the clippings of his birth notices.”

Ethel smiled as she held the child. “We’re going to have a smash opening. Alfie and Sergio will fly in and so will half of Hollywood.”

He nodded and lay back and tried to catch a nap. He was excited at the idea of doing a Broadway musical. He didn’t even mind that it was for Ike Ryan. So far Ike hadn’t had a loser. And Ike didn’t take any shit from anyone. When Dip Nelson had tried to muscle in as co-producer, he had turned him down. Well, Dip had made a deal with Joe Katz. And Pauli had a big hit. Leave it to Dip—he had learned plenty from Robin Stone. Funny, Robin had been bigger than all of them, and wham, just like that he had disappeared from the scene. Suddenly he thought of Amanda—he could think of her now with no emotion; she was just a dim memory now. Ethel had given him the only thing he really wanted: his son. He smiled contentedly.

Ethel snuggled the baby and kissed his head. Funny, in the beginning she had only gotten knocked up to get her way with Christie. Now the baby was the most important thing in her life, the only thing she really cared about. All the frustrated love she had given the men who had passed through her life, she now lavished on the child. But she’d never make a mother’s boy of him—she’d know when to let go. He was her kid and he was going to have the greatest life in the world. And now Christie’s Broadway opening would be exciting. She had a good life—she was den mother for Alfie and Sergio,
the
hostess of Hollywood. Her Hamtramck dream had practically come true. Of course there was no handsome leading man—there was just Christie. She had plenty of time on her hands to play around, but she didn’t get any offers. She was respected. She was
Mrs
. Christie Lane. Oh well, you couldn’t have everything.

Danton Miller read the review of his new special in
Variety
. It was murderous. Dammit, the only shows that held up were the old ones. The shows chosen by Robin Stone. He had been a
rocket all right, but like all rockets he had exploded into thin air. He drummed this into Sammy Tebet’s head every time Sammy got high-handed. Sammy was bright and he’d have to keep an eye on him—he couldn’t afford another Robin Stone in his life. But Gregory would see to that. Gregory was back, riding roughshod, and Gregory was going to cancel the new variety show Dan had put on in September. Dan could feel it in his bones. It would happen at tomorrow’s weekly meeting. He lit a cigarette. His ulcer stabbed him. He looked up toward the ceiling and silently promised that he would never smoke again if he got through tomorrow’s meeting with his job still intact. He wondered if Gregory had read
Variety
… .

Gregory
had
seen
Variety
. But he was looking at
Women’s Wear
. Judith’s picture was on the front page. He stared at it fondly. He shuddered every time he recalled her picture on the front pages of the Los Angeles newspapers. Oddly enough, it had made her a celebrity again when she returned. She had worn an eye patch for a week. And the fact that Robin Stone had gone off the deep end over her gave her new glamour among her friends. It just proved you could never figure women. Judith was right back in the swim. God, every night this week there was a party or an opening. He suddenly remembered that he had a five o’clock fitting for his new dress suit. And of course Judith insisted on his ordering a new velvet smoking jacket for their eggnog party. It was going to be bigger than ever this year. He stared at her picture and smiled. She had never looked better, and she had never seemed happier… .

They all read
Variety
, but none of them read the “Literati” section, and none of them noticed the small paragraph that said, “Robin Stone, former IBC Network President, has just completed a book which Essandess will publish in the late spring.”

Maggie Stewart boarded the BOAC plane for London. She was also carrying
Variety
. The big headline on the front page was a lead story about her walkout from the new Alfie Knight
picture. But when the plane was airborne she wasn’t reading
Variety
—she kept reading and rereading a cable: