'I can stop the rot if you remove Desmond Pacey and give me carte blanche to sack anyone who has been involved in the thefts, starting tomorrow.'

'Well now, Abel, I wish the problem was as simple as that!

'The problem is just that simple,' said Abel. 'And if you won't let me deal with the culprits, you can have my resignation as of this minute, because I have no interest in being a part of the most corruptly run hotel in America!

'Couldn't we just demote Desmond Pacey to assistant manager? Then I could make you manager and the problem would come under your control!

'Never,' replied Abel. 'Pacey has over two years to go and has a firm hold over the entire Richmond staff, so that by the time I get him in line yo&ll be dead or bankrupt, or both, as I suspect all of your other hotels are being run in the same cavalier fashion. If you want the trend reversed in Chicago, you'll have to make a firm decision about Pacey right now, or you can go to the wall on your own. Take it or leave it.'

'Us Texans have a reputation for speaking our mind, Abel but we're sure not in your class. Okay, okay, I'll give you the authority. As of this minute congratulations. You're the new manager of the Chicago Richmond.

Wait till Al Capone hears you've arrived in Chicago; he'll join me down here in the peace and quiet of the great South - west. Abel, my boy,'

continued Leroy, standing up and slapping his new manager on the shoulder, 'don't think I'm ungrateful. You've done a great job in Chicago, and from now on I shall look upon you as my right - hand man. To be honest with you Abel, I have been doing so well on the Stock Exchange I haven't even noticed the losses, so thank God I have one honest friend.

Why don't you stay overnight and have a bite to eat?'

'I'd be delighted to join you, Mr. Leroy, but I want to spend the night at the Dallas Richmond for personal reasons!

'You're not going to let anyone off the hook, are you, Abel?'

'Not if I can help it.'

16

That evening Davis Leroy gave Abet a sumptuous meal and a little too much whisky which he insisted was no more than Southern hospitality. He also admitted to Abel that he was looking for someone to run the Richmond Group so that he could take things a little easier.

'Are you sure you want a dumb Polack?' slurred Abel after one too many drinks.

'Abel, iesme who's been dumb. If you hadn't proved to be so reliable in smoking out those thieves, I might have gone under. But now that I know the truth, we'll lick them together, and I'm going to give you the chance to put the Richmond Group back on the map.'

Abel shakily raised his glass. 'I'll drink to that - and to a long and successful partnership.'

'Go get'em, boy.'

Abel spent the night at the Dallas Richmond, giving a false name and pointedly telling the desk clerk that he would only be staying one night.

In the morning when he observed the hotel's only copy of the receipt for his cash payment disappearing into the wastepaper basket, Abel had his suspicions confirmed. The problem was not Chicago?s alone. He decided he would have to get Chicago straightened out first; the rest of the group's finaglings would have to wait until later. He made one call to Davis Leroy to warn him that the disease had spread to the whole group.

Abel travelled back the way he had come. The Mississippi valley lay sullenly alongside the train window, devastated by the floods of the previous year. Abel thought about the devastation he was going to cause when he returned to the Chicago Richmond.

When he arrived, there was no night porter on duty and only one clerk could be found. He decided to let them all have a good night's rest before he bade them farewell. A young bellboy opened the front door for him as he made his way back to the annex.

'Have a good trip, Mr. Rosnovski?'he asked.

'Yes, thank you. How have things been here?,'

'Oh, very quiet.'

You may find it even quieter this time tomorrow, thought Abel, when you're the only member of the staff left.

Abel unpacked and called room service to order a light MCA which took over an hour to arrive. When he had finished his coffee, he undressed and stood in a cold shower, going over his plan for the following day. He had picked a good time of year for his massacre. It was early February and the hotel had only about a twenty - five per cent occupancy, and Abel was confident that he could run the Richmond with about half its present staff., He climbed into bed, threw the pillow on the floor and slept, like his unsuspecting staff, soundly.

Desmond Pacey, known to every one at the Richmond ag Lazy Pacey, was sixty - two years old. He was considerably overweight and it made him rather slow of movement on his short legs. Desmond Pacey had seen seven, or was it eight, assistant managers come and go in the Richmond. Some got greedy and wanted more of his take; some_ just couldn't understand how it worked. The Polack, he decided, wasn't turning out to be any brighter than the others. He hummed to himself as he walked slowly towards Abel's office for their daily ten o'clock meeting. It was seventeen minutes past ten.