"A tight-knit bunch," I observed.

"Yeah. The advantages are many one for all and all for one that stuff. A guy always has someone guarding his back. But there are disadvantages, like now. Old Jack's not been feeling too well lately so he couldn't come himself."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I said sincerely.

Billy waved his hand.

"Nothing serious. Frank had a business meeting in California important. So I was elected."

I said, "Tell me one thing. Does Debbie know about this? Does she know you're here?"

He shook his head.

"No. It's just that Jack wants to know what the hell is going on. Personally, I think it's none of our business, but. "

"But the Cunninghams look after their own."

"That's about it. Hell, Tom, I told Jack that interfering between man and wife is pure poison, but you think he'd listen? You know the old man."

"Not too well," I said coolly.

"What do you want to know?"

"It's not what I want to know it's what Jack wants to know. Jack and Frank both. They're both mad at you." Billy paused, then said meditatively, "If Frank had come on this mission he might have taken a poke at you. Very protective is Frank."

"Why should he do that?" I demanded.

"I don't beat up his little sister every Friday night as a regular routine."

He grinned crookedly.

"It might have been better if you had. The Cunningham women…" He stopped short.

"Anyway, Jack wants to know why his little girl has come running home looking as blue as a cold flounder."

"Didn't he ask her?"

"She clammed up on him and on Frank. Me I didn't bother to ask.

What is it, Tom? "

"I don't know," I said.

"It appears that she wants me to stay home and hold her hand. Says I'm neglecting her. But, God, you know what's been happening here. If it hasn't been one bloody thing it's been another. Did she tell you about Kayles?"

"No. What about him?"

I told Billy in some detail, and said, "I know I made a damn fool of myself and I'm sorry a man was killed but Debbie didn't even ask if I'd been hurt."

"Self-centred," observed Billy.

"She always was, and I've told her so to her face, many times. So where do you go from here?"

I took out my wallet and showed Billy the note Debbie had left and he made a sour face. Tfshe wasn't family I'd call her a bitch," he said.

"What are you doing about Karen?"

"She's staying with me at the hotel for the moment. I doubt if it's good for her but it's the best I can do right now."

"Do you want me to talk with Debbie?"

"No," I said.

"Keep out of it. She must work this thing through herself. And tell Jack and Frank to keep out of it, too."

He shrugged.

"I've already told them, but I'll pass on the message from you."

"Do that."

And so we left it there and began to discuss our problems in the Bahamas. Billy said, "The way things are going you'd better start another division staffed by morticians. It should show a profit."

"Not if the bodies aren't found," I said.

"Anyway, the Theta Corporation was only directly involved in one of these incidents, the air crash."

"We don't want another like that," warned Billy.

"The waves are still rocking the New York Stock Exchange. Those guys who were killed weren't ready to die; their financial affairs weren't exactly in order. I hear the Securities and Exchange Commission might start an investigation and that'll cause grief all round. Tom, the name of the Bahamas is coming up too often in headlines and it's beginning to stink. And don't give me that crap about any publicity being good publicity as long as they get the name right."

Tt'sjust a streak of bad luck. It'll come right. " I told him of the deal made between the Hoteliers' Association and the Ministry of Tourism, ending with, " So we're doing something about it. "

"You'd better do something about it. Jack's getting worried; he's talking about pulling out."

"Is he chicken-livered? We've had a run of three bad incidents and Jack runs scared?"

"Three incidents and 128 dead," said Billy. Jack's been counting; he's keeping score. " He sighed.

"Trouble is he never really wanted to come into the Bahamas anyway. It was my idea and Billy One backed me.

Jack went along but his heart was never really in it. "

"On top of which he's never cottoned on to me," I said a little bitterly.

"He thinks you run a loose ship," said Billy frankly.

"That you give too much away. According to Jack at best you're a do-gooder; at worst, when his bile really starts to rise, you're an agent of the Kremlin ' I gave Billy a level look.

"What do you think?"

"I think Jack is a fossilized dinosaur. Times are changing but he isn't. As for me I'm willing to play along with your plans of operation as long s they show a profit a reasonable return on a fifty million buck investment, a return comparable to what we'd get anywhere else. I know you're a Bahamian and you want to help your own people; all I ask is that you don't do it too much at corporate expense."

"Fair enough. But, Billy, all those things which Jack thinks are giveaways the pension fund, the hotel doctor, the hotels' school, and so on all those are investments for the Corporation. They'll pay off in staff service and corporate loyalty, and that's hard to buy."

"You're probably right," acknowledged Billy.

"But Jack's an old-time Texan. He even accused Nixon of being a commie when he pulled out of Vietnam. Sometimes I think he's a nut. But look at you from his side of the fence. You're a foreigner who first subverted his daughter into mixing with black kids, then took her away, and now she's back home looking goddamn unhappy. Add all that together and you'll see he's just looking for an excuse to pull out of here. It won't take much."

"How much of the Theta Corporation does he control?"

"As an individual, nothing; our eighty per cent of Theta is owned by the Cunningham Corporation. But he has some clout in there. With some fast talking he could line up enough proxies to vote for a pull-out from the Bahamas."

"That would be a personal disaster for me," I said slowly.

"I'm too deeply committed now."

"I know. That's why you'd better pray there isn't an earthquake here next week, or an outbreak of infectious dandruff. No more headlines, Tom."

As though I did not have enough to worry about I now had Jack Cunningham gunning for me. And, as Billy had said, all I could do was pray.

'^ That was on Saturday. Billy stayed to lunch and then departed, saying that he was going to Miami on business for the Cunningham Corporation, and from there to New York He gave me telephone numbers where I could find him. On Sunday I caught up with paperwork.

Monday was well, Monday was Monday one of those days when nothing goes really wrong but nothing goes really right; a day of niggling futilities and a rapidly shortening temper. I suppose we all have days like that.

I dined in the restaurant and went to my room early, after seeing Karen to bed, intending to go to bed myself and to scan some managerial reports before sleeping. I have never known why one is supposed to be vertical while working, and I can read perfectly well while flat on my back. I had just got settled when the telephone rang and a voice said in my ear, as clear as a bell, "Mangan? Is that you?"

"Yes. Who's speaking?"

"Jack Cunningham here. Is Debbie there?"

"No, I thought she was with you. Where are you?"

"Houston." His voice suddenly receded although he was still speaking.

I caught a few scattered words and concluded he was consulting with someone else. '.. not there.. must be right.. Billy.. "

He came back full strength.

"Is young Billy there?"

"No," I said.

"He was here on Saturday. He'll be in Miami if he hasn't gone on to New York."