Cash McCall by Cameron Hawley

Author:Cameron Hawley
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781504025812
Publisher: Open Road Media

6

Maude Kennard stood near the door of the Fontainebleau Room alerted by the sound of shuffling chairs that signaled the end of the second Andscott breakfast conference. The surf roar came toward her and she took a backward step, watching through the cut-edged leaves of the giant philodendron as the released flood of men poured down the three-step spillway to the lobby level. Inhaling, squaring her shoulders, she prepared herself for the peaking of personality that would be demanded by the appearance of Park Cady, Vice-president for Merchandising of the Andscott Instrument Corporation. Mr. Cady was the man who signed the check.

The consciousness that an effort was required came to Maude Kennard as a disturbing realization. Over the years, her response to the best interest of the hotel had become so automatic that it was a rare and disconcerting experience to find herself tempted to allow the intrusion of a superior personal consideration. Unquestionably, the solid accomplishment of showing a breakfast-time profit on the operation of the Fontainebleau Room was more important than solving the mystery of Cash McCall’s disappearance … or was it? If he sold the hotel, what did anything else matter? The Luxor chain would put in their own management … there would be no place for her after …

Again, uncontrollably, her mind submitted to the masochistic torture of reviewing the evidence. Cash McCall had left the hotel a week ago tomorrow noon and had not since returned. At ten minutes after seven that morning, five men had gone up to his suite. Nathan knew two of them, both so well that mistaken identity was impossible. One man was Winston Conway of Jamison, Conway & Slythe, the law firm that handled the legal affairs of the Hotel Ivanhoe. The other was Vincent Thompson of Thompson & Slater, the certified public accountants who audited the hotel’s books. She had known that something was up and, before noon, had managed to confirm her suspicion. On Will Atherson’s desk at the bank, she had seen the letter—actually only the letterhead but, even read upside down, there was no doubt that it was the stationery of the Luxor Hotel Corporation. Luxor was buying hotels all over the country and the Ivanhoe was exactly the kind of house that Luxor would want.

“Well!” The sound was that of a bursting balloon and she knew before she turned that it was Park Cady. “Yes sir, did it again, didn’t you, Mrs. Kennard! Wonderful breakfast. Yes sir, just wonderful. Want you to meet our president.”

Cady stood on the top step, a rubbery caricature right out of the Mummers parade, turning back to watch the ramrod-straight figure of the man who was slowly making his way down the aisle, a general reviewing his troops, bestowing his set smile as if it were a beribboned decoration.

“Our president,” Cady trumpeted wheezily as the man approached, preceding him down the steps, back-reaching a guiding hand. “General Danvers, want you to meet Mrs. Kennard. Yes sir, our honored guest today, Mrs.

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