"Better than that. John L. wants us to do some work for them."
Moses was incredulous. "You"re kidding. Don"t fool with me, Daniel. My heart can"t take it."
Daniel laughed. "It"s legitimate. He wants us to undertake impartial studies of all areas. We"re beginning with a survey of the Middlesboro and Kentucky districts. You"ll have to put together a field team and get down there right away."
"I"ll need more men," Moses said.
"*Then get them. And take Junior down there with you as your number two. I want him to get his feet wet."
*"But what about Harvard?"
""He"ll have to pa.s.s that. It"s more important that he get some real experience. He can pick up on college later. Once you feel he has the idea, then leave him there and you come back to the office."
""Okay, Big Dan." His voice lowered. "You got a call from Miami. He wants you to call him right back."
"Fll take care of it."
Moses" voice went back up. "Congratulations. It"s like pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I don"t know how you did it."
Daniel was pleased. "It"s only the beginning. See you first thing in the morning."
He put down the telephone and looked across the desk. "Just one more call and we can go."
"I"m in no hurry,"
He gave the long-distance operator the number. He put a hand over the mouthpiece while the call was going through. "Is that a new dress, Margaret?"
She shook her head.
"It"s very pretty," he said. "But then, so are you."
She blushed. "Thank you."
A voice came on the wire. Just the number. "Seven six three three."
""Daniel Huggins calling.""
"One moment, sir." There was a click on the Hne. Lansky came on. He came right to the point. "I need a favor."
"Just ask it," Daniel said.
"There"s an election coming up in the New Jersey Teamsters. I want you to see that the right man wins it."
"I"ll do my best." Daniel said. "What"s his name?"
"Tony Pro."
Daniel was silent for a moment. Tony Pro; Anthony Provenzano. One of the Family. "You don"t pick easy ones," he said. "You know Dave Beck is against him."
"That"s your problem," Lansky said flatly. "Just tell Hoffa that if Tony Pro becomes president of that local, he"ll never have to worry about the Teamsters on the Eastern Seaboard."
"I"ll get on it right away," Daniel said.
"Keep me posted." Lansky went off the line.
Slowly Daniel put down the telephone. He began to dial Moses" number again, then changed his mind. That would keep until the morning. It was either feast or famine. From nothing to do to too much. Suddenly he was tired.
"Anything wrong, Daniel?" she asked.
He looked at her. "Just tired, I guess. It"s been a long day."
"You don"t have to take me out to dinner. If you"d rather just go home and rest, I won"t mind."
"I have an idea," he said. "Why don"t we go to my house? I"ll have Mamie fix us a nice dinner, and afterward we can sit around and watch television."
She felt the heat rise in her face again, but her eyes were ready. "If that"s what you want."
He smiled suddenly, the smile seeming to drop the years from him. He picked up the telephone and dialed home. "Mamie, big steaks and all the tr.i.m.m.i.n.gs. I"m bringing a pretty girl home to dinner."
It was a small house, not at all what she had expected. Cape Cod style, in a development where each house on the street looked almost like its neighbor. There were no driveways, and he parked the car in the street. They crossed a small patch of lawn to the front door.
Before they reached it, the door was opened by a heavy set black woman, a smile showing her large white teeth. "Evenin", Mistuh Dan."
**Mamie, this is Miss Rourke," Daniel said as he led the way into the house.
"Miz Rourke," Mamie said.
*"Pleased to meet you, Mamie." Margaret smiled. ""I hope we didn"t make any problems."
*"0h, no, Miz Rourke, You work foh Mistuh Dan, you git used to things like that. No tellin" who he comin" home with. You jes" make yohse"fs comf table an" I"ll go on gittin" dinner ready." She looked at Daniel. "You got time foh a shower an" to git changed if"n you want."
*"Okay, boss lady," Daniel said. He turned to Margaret. ""Mamie thinks she"s my mother. She runs my life."
Mamie pretended anger. "Somebody"s got to take charge. Now you git goin". I"ll see that this purty li"l thing is made comf table."
Margaret nodded. "Go ahead. I"ll be all right."
He went up the stairs, and Mamie led her into the living room. "Now you jes" set down heah an" I"ll bring you any drink you like."
"I don"t need anything. Can I help with anything?"
Mamie smiled. "Ev"ything"s done. You jes" relax." She started from the room, then stopped and turned back. "You know Mistuh Dan a long time?"
Margaret shook her head. "Not long. Maybe two months."
Mamie grinned. "You must sho have somethin". This is the fiist time he ever brought any of his girls home."
Margaret stared after her as she left the room. From upstairs she heard the sound of a door slamming. Slowly she looked around the room. The ftimiture was old-fashioned, heavy-framed and dark wood. The chairs and couch crowding the small floor s.p.a.ce. There was a desk with a telephone in one comer, and on the wall opposite the couch there was a television set, over which were bookcases, filled with books that looked as if they had never been read. There were several nondescript paintings on the walls. Nothing else.
Suddenly a thought came to her. Quickly she looked around the room again. Strange. Nowhere in the room was there a picture or photograph of anyone. This was the first time she had ever been in a home that did not have at least one photograph around. Her own little house was filled with them.
She heard his footsteps on the stairs and turned toward him. He had changed into a sport shirt, open at the throat, revealing the heavy matting of hair across his chest, and a pair of dark slacks. His hair was still wet from the shower, and he grinned as he saw her staring at him. *"Anything wrong?"
He looked younger somehow. She shook her head. "It"s the first time I"ve seen you without a suit and tie."
""I also take them off to go to bed," he said.
She blushed.
""I"ll see if dinner"s ready," he said. ""Want to eat in here or in the kitchen?"
"Wherever you want."
"The kitchen," he said. "That"s where we usually eat. It"s easier."
After dinner, they came back to the living room. He turned on the television set and placed a bottle of whiskey on the table in front of them. He poured a drink for himself.
They watched as the set warmed up, bringing a quiz show into the room. She watched it with interest. She had no television set at home. He seemed bored with it but watched it silently, working steadily at the bottle of whiskey. Later they watched a movie for a while, then the news at eleven o"clock. During the evening they had scarcely exchanged more than ten words and had sat on the couch respectably distanced from each other.
Finally he got to his feet. "It"s getting late," he said. "Time I got you to the bus station."
She looked up at him without moving.
*"Didn"tyouhearme?"
**I heard you," she said.
*"We"d better get going, then."
She rose silently and moved toward him. ""Daniel."
"What is it?"
"I didn"t have to come out here just for dinner."
He looked at her. "I"m old enough to be your father."
"But you"re not my father."
"You"ve heard all those stories about me. Even your father warned you."
"That"s right."
"Doesn"t that mean anything to you?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Then you"d better let me take you to the bus station before we do something we"ll both regret."
Her eyes looked directly at him. "Don"t you want me?"
He didn"t answer.
"I want you," she said. "From the moment I first walked into your office, I wanted you."
"I don"t pick on children," he said harshly.
"I"ll tell you the same thing I told my father. I"m not a child anymore."
Again he was silent.
"I"m not a virgin, if that"s what you"re worried about," she said. "But this is the first time I"ve ever really wanted anybody. So much that the fire between my legs turns them into jelly and I"m afraid to walk."
He stared at her for a long moment, then turned and walked across the room away from her. "Get yourself together," he said gruffly. "I"m driving you home. I want to talk to your father."
""No," she said firmly. ""Anything you have to say to my father, you can say to me."
"How old are you?"
She hesitated a moment. "Almost seventeen."
"Then I will have to talk to your father," he said. "You see, I want to marry you."
""If it"s about Margaret being pregnant," Moses said, ""I think he"s already heard."
""But I only found out last week." Surprise echoed in Daniel"s voice.
"She"s two months gone," Moses said. "Congratulations."
"Thanks," Daniel said drily. "Looks like the whole world knows. What have they got? Microphones in my bedroom?"
Moses grinned. "You know better than that. Women just can"t keep a secret."
"s.h.i.t." Suddenly Daniel understood. Mamie. Junior called her once a week for his messages. He laughed. "I bet you all were as much surprised as I was."
"We weren"t surprised," Moses said. "Matter of fact, we couldn"t figure out what took you so long." They pa.s.sed the sign at the side of the road. WELCOME TO JELLICO POP. 1200 "Five minutes," Moses said, turning the car into the main road. They began to drive past houses cl.u.s.tered on either side of the street. The lights of the town center loomed in front of them. Despite the sleet, the streets were filled with people walking, looking in shop windows.
"Busy town," Daniel said. "Looks like more than twelve hundred people."
"Most of them aren"t from here," Moses said. "You won"t find many locals on the street right now."
"Who are they?"
"Miners."
"They don"t look Uke miners to me," Daniel said. "They"re too clean. And miners are generally too tired to be walking around like this."
Moses was silent.