Part 22 (1/2)
”Yes,” he said quietly. ”I've seen it before when it comes to Mr. Lawrence. You have to bevery careful.”
She took a deep breath and looked out into the darkness. ”Well, thanks for getting me home.” She tried to pull her hand away, but he held on to it for a moment.
”Angela.”
”Yes?”
”There's something you ought to know about . . . ” His voice trailed off.
”What is it, John?”
”I just, well, I just want you to understand that I . . . ” But once again he didn't finish.
”Tell me.”
He shook his head. ”I have to go,” he said, turning away.
”John!”
”Call when you need me, Angela.”
And then he disappeared into the night.
Angela never heard about the explosion that incinerated the Town Car minutes after she and Tucker had left it. Lawrence's people were able to keep the incident out of the newspapers. A remotely controlled incendiary device affixed to the underside of the Town Car's cha.s.sis had been set off by a b.u.t.ton pushed by one of the two men riding in the car that had followed Angela and Tucker from the hotel.
CHAPTER ELEVEN.
”You met with him last night?”
”As I communicated to Mr. Hill, we had dinner together.”
”Dinner?”
Angela's antic.i.p.ation of an early morning meeting with Dudley and Hill had been warranted. She had arrived at her desk just before 7:30 and Hill's executive a.s.sistant had been waiting. The woman hadn't even given her a chance to get settled, barely allowing her the opportunity to take off her coat before leading her to the elevators and the fiftieth floor. ”Yes, dinner.”
”Just you and Jake Lawrence.”
”Several of his a.s.sociates were there, but we were the only ones eating. The only ones actually in the room.”
”That seems pretty intimate. It's surprising that you would agree to something like that after telling us what he did to you in Wyoming.”
”I was careful,” she answered.
”Were you now?” Dudley asked. ”And did he try anything this time?”
”No. This time he was a gentleman.”
Dudley shot Hill a cynical glance. ”As if he really tried anything in Wyoming.”
Angela gritted her teeth. The faster she was out of Dudley's office the better, but she couldn't allow that comment to go unaddressed. ”What is that supposed to mean?”
Dudley's eyes narrowed. ”Perhaps you were the one who became physically aggressive with Lawrence in Wyoming. After all, he is one of the wealthiest men in the world. Lots of women probably have Cinderella dreams about him. Perhaps he was the one who rejected you so you made up the whole story to try to save yourself the embarra.s.sment in case he told someone the truth.”
”That's ridiculous!”
”Easy, Ms. Day,” Hill urged soothingly. ”We're all under a lot of pressure. Why don't we get into what you and Mr. Lawrence discussed last night.”
Angela stared at Dudley, hoping he might look up so he could see the fire in her eyes. But he didn't. ”We focused on the company he wants to acquire,” she replied, her voice strained. ”The target.”
”What's the name of it?” Dudley snapped.
Dudley seemed more on edge than last time they had met, Angela observed, as if he knew the enemy was closing in. ”Mr. Lawrence ordered me not to disclose the name of the target to anyone. He wants it kept confidential.”
”Bulls.h.i.+t!” Dudley barked.
”Settle down, Bob,” Hill pleaded.
”Shut up, Carter. Tell me the name of the company, Ms. Day, or so help me . . .”
Angela saw fury flash cross Carter Hill's face for the first time, as if he'd almost reached the breaking point, as if he couldn't take the role of lapdog any longer. ”So help you what?” she demanded, her voice steely. Suddenly she was in the driver's seat. She could feel it. She was Dudley's only direct connection to a man he believed was stalking him. Like it or not, he needed her.
”Perhaps you can tell us what industry the target operates in,” Hill suggested when Dudley remained silent. ”Would you do that?”
”Retail. Convenience stores, specifically. Lawrence already owns a chain called Cubbies, and he intends to grow it substantially with this acquisition.” Hopefully that would throw them off the track long enough for her to meet with Walter Fogel. When they found out she had misled them, she'd blame it on Lawrence by telling them she had only found out at the last moment that the true target was Proxmire.
”Well, there are only a few publicly held convenience store chains,” Dudley commented. ”I can probably figure that one out on my own.”
”I'm sure you can,” she agreed. ”Now, if that's all, I'm going to go back down-”
”That's not all, Ms. Day,” Dudley hissed. ”You'll leave when I say you can leave.”
”All right,” she said evenly, ”Mr. Chairman.”
”What else did you talk about while you dined with Mr. Lawrence?”
”A number of things.”
”Did you discuss the fact that he has now increased his stake in Sumter to 10 percent?”
Dudley was a man on the run, sensing that his pursuer was gaining ground, and his predicament gave Angela immense satisfaction. Deep down she was hoping that Jake really was lying to her, and that his ultimate intention was to take over Sumter, kick Bob Dudley out on his a.s.s, and, at least temporarily, replace him with Carter Hill. ”Yes, we did.”
”And?”
”And that was all. I was the one who brought up the subject. I told him I had checked the latest 13-d filings and was aware of the fact that he now held 10 percent of the bank.”
Dudley scoffed. ”I a.s.sume he continues to maintain his innocence.”