Secret Prey

REAL BAD DAY.

Susan ODell took a small red diabetic candy from a bowl on her coffee table, unrolled the cellophane with her fingertips, popped the candy in her mouth, and said, Im sure about Anderson, Bunde, Sanderson, Eirich, Sojen, and Goff. If you can give me Spartz, Rondeau, Young, and Brandt, then weve got it: weve got ten.

We can. Wilson talked to his father today, and hes got Rondeaus commitment. Spartz, Young, and Brandt have already committed to whatever Wilson wants to do, Audrey McDonald said. Audrey was sitting on a love seat, herfeet squarely on the floor, her purse squarely on her lap. Her whole body hurt, but nothing had been broken. When Wilson beat you, he did it carefully. Thoroughly, but carefully.

Weve got to be sure, ODell said.

Ill get written commitments if you wish, Audrey said stiffly. She hated ODell, but this was necessary.

Thats absurd, ODell said. Nobody would do that. And its not necessary. NoI want to talk to them. Itll all be very pleasant, but we have to talk.

Ill arrange it, Audrey said. But we do want your commitment in writing. We wont be able to show it to anyone, of course, if you go through with your end… but if you dont do what you say, well.. . hurt you with it.

ODell shook her head. Cant do it.

You can if you want the job, Audrey said. She twisted slightly, trying to ease a cramp in her back. He reallyhadhurt her.

ODell sat silently for a moment. Then: Can I call you tomorrow? First thing?

First thing, Audrey said. Theres not a lot of time left.

Audrey looked old, ODell thought, looking after her as she scuttled away toward the elevator. They were of an age, but already Audrey was bent over, stiff.

ODell worked out, both for strength and flexibility. She was a long-range planner, and had every intention of living to a nice ripe ninety.

AFTER LETTING AUDREY OUT, O DELL WENT TO THE REFRIGERATOR, got a bottle of Dos Equis, popped the top, and sat down on the couch to think about it. Five minutes later the telephone burped from the end table, a single half-ring. She waited, but whoever it was had rung off. She took a couple of sips of the beer, leaned sideways and picked up the phone, punched in Louise Comptons number.

Compton picked it up on the third ring, and ODell said, Audrey McDonald was just here. She said she can deliverSpartz, Rondeau, Young, and Brandt. But there are some conditions.

Like what?

Like they want a written statement: Im president and CEO, but Wilson gets the chairmans job. Hed just be a figurehead, but the salaries would be the same.

That sounds…

Illegal. It might be.

Why dont you see if you could commit yourself with a couple of witnessesmaybe a couple of the board membersrather than putting it in writing. Then in a couple of years, when weve got the place under control…

We bump him off.

Exactly.

I like your thinking, ODell said. The doorbell rang, and she turned, frowned. Somebody at the door. Hang on.

ODell hopped off the couch and hurried across the living room, looked through the peephole into the hallway, frowned, and opened the door.

I… Then she saw the muzzle of the gun. No, she said.

In the narrow space of the reception hall, the shot sounded like the end of the world, and for ODell, it was. The slug hit her in the eye, and knocked out the back of her skull.

She went down on her back, and a second later another shot hit her in the forehead: but she was already dead.

The telephone lay on the couch, and a tiny, tinny voice screamed Susan? Susan, what was that? Susan?

A real bad day for Susan ODell.