Part 17 (2/2)

”Go right in,” she told him.

Sam was sitting at his desk when Johnny stuck his head inside the door. ”Come in, Johnny,” he cried. ”Come in. I was just thinking about you.”

They shook hands and Johnny took out the check. ”I'm returning this,” he said, placing the check on Sam's desk.

”Now, wait a minute, Johnny.” Sam stood up. ”You remember what I said yesterday. I don't take money for not doing the job.”

”You'll do the job, Sam,” Johnny said. ”We're giving you a date for the picture. Craig will have to live up to his agreement now, whether he likes it or not.”

”You mean you got a place to make it?” Sam asked. ”But yesterday I thought you were through.”

Johnny smiled at him. ”That was yesterday, Sam. But this is the picture business, where yesterday doesn't count. Today we're set.”

”Craig won't like this.” Sam grinned. ”But I'm tickled. Where you going to shoot the picture?”

”This is strictly confidential, Sam”-Johnny lowered his voice-”but we're going to California to do it.”

”California!” Sam grinned happily. ”Now I know Craig won't like it.”

”We're leaving next week,” Johnny said. ”I'll see to it that you get his ticket in plenty of time for him to be at the station to go with us.”

Sam picked up the check and tore it up. ”He'll be there,” he promised, ”if I have to drag him by the heels.”

The only people who were told where they were going were Borden and Pappas. No chance was taken of the news leaking out. The cast and crew of the picture were enjoined to keep their mouths shut about it.

Al Santos left for California promising them that he would try to have everything ready when they arrived. Esther arranged to close the apartment and put the furniture in storage until their return. She took the children out of school so they could be ready to leave.

Doris was excited. She read every book on California that she could lay her hands on and she was the first among them to become a Californian. She became a Californian the day after she was told they were going there.

It was two days before they were due to leave that the phone on Peter's desk began to ring. Johnny came in from the studio, where he had helped pack the last of the equipment, to answer it, for Peter wasn't around.

It was Borden. ”Is Peter there?” he asked. His voice was shrill and excited.

”No,” Johnny answered. ”Why? What do you want him for?”

”I just learned that the combine bought up some of your notes and they're going into court this morning to get a judgment against you!”

”This morning?” Johnny yelled. If the combine got that judgment they wouldn't be able to move a bit of equipment. It was all combine-licensed. ”But we're leaving Friday night!”

”Not if they get that judgment,” Borden said. ”You better get out tonight if you can.”

Johnny hung up the phone, took out his watch, and looked at it. It was almost eleven o'clock. The cast had to be rounded up and notified of the change of plan, the equipment had to be s.h.i.+pped down to the train, Peter had to empty his apartment, and, last but not least, tickets had to be exchanged for use tonight instead of Friday.

And if they couldn't do it by tonight, they were sunk.

12.

Johnny ran out into the studio looking for Joe. He wasn't there. The studio was empty-nothing but the cases, standing around ready for s.h.i.+pment.

He ran down to the saloon on the corner. Joe was there, one foot on the rail, a gla.s.s of beer in his hand.

Joe took one look at Johnny's face and put the beer down on the bar. ”What's up?” he asked.

”The roof's falling in,” Johnny answered tersely. ”Come on back to the office.”

Joe started to walk to the door with Johnny, then he stopped. ”Wait a minute,” he said. He went back to the bar and picked up his gla.s.s of beer and drained it. Then, wiping his lips, he joined Johnny.

On the way back to the studio Johnny explained what had happened.

”That does it.” Joe's face was long as they entered the studio. ”We're cooked now for sure.”

”Not if we can get out tonight,” Johnny said.

”Tonight?” Joe snorted. ”You're crazy. We'll never make it.”

”We gotta,” Johnny insisted stubbornly.

”There may not be a train out tonight,” Joe said dourly, ”and if there is, we may not be able to get tickets.” He sat down on a chair and stared at the floor. ”We might as well throw in the towel. We can't lick the b.u.g.g.e.rs, they're too big for us.”

Johnny looked at him steadily. His voice was hard and flat. ”You quittin' on me, Joe?”

Joe looked up at him. His gaze met Johnny's levelly. ”You know better than to say that, kid. I was agin this fool idea in the first place, but when you got Peter to do it, I came along with yuh, didn't I? I spent the whole summer on my b.u.t.t stickin' with yuh. But now you're tryin' to do the impossible. The chances are a million to one against our getting' away with it. Even you must see it. Your luck's run out, Johnny, yuh pushed it just about as far as it could go.”

Johnny let him finish speaking. His voice was cold as he repeated his question: ”You quittin' on me, Joe?”

Joe sprang to his feet. ”No,” he shouted, ”no, I ain't quittin' on yuh. But, so help me G.o.d, when this is over I'm goin' tuh kick your b.u.t.t aroun' the block!”

Johnny smiled slowly. Some of the tenseness seeped out of him. He put his hand on Joe's shoulder. ”If we get away with this, Joe,” he said softly, ”it'll be a pleasure to let yuh do it.”

He went over to his desk and took out the tickets. He held them out to Joe. ”Now hop down to the station an' see if you can change these for tonight. If there's no train to where we're going, you get tickets to any place out of the state. We can worry about getting to California from there!”

Joe took the tickets silently and started for the door. ”And call me back as soon as you know,” Johnny shouted after him.

He sat down at his desk and called Peter's home.

Esther answered the phone.

”Where's Peter?” Johnny asked.

She was surprised. ”I don't know. Isn't he with you?”

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