'Sorry to have kept you waiting,' said the manager, not sounding sorry at all.

Abel made no comment.

'I was held up with. something at reception, you know how it is., Abel knew exactly how it was at reception.

He slowly opened the drawer of the desk in front of him and laid out forty crumpled hotel bills, some of them in four or five pieces, bills that he had recovered from wastepaper baskets and ashtrays, bills for those guests who had paid cash and who had never been registered. He watched the fat little manager trying to work out what they were, upside down.

Desmond Pacey couldn~ t quite fathom it. Not that he caxed that much.

Nothing for him to worry about. If the stupid Polack had caught on to the system, he could either take his cut or leave. Pacey was wondering what percentage he would have to give him.

Perhaps a nice room in the hotel would keep him quiet for the time being.

'You're fired, Mr. Pacey, and I want you off the premiseswithin the hour.'

Desmond Pacey didn't actually take in the words, because he couldn't believe them.

'What was that you said? I don!t think I heard you right!

'You did,' said Abel. 'You're fired!

'You can't fire me. I'm the manager and I've been with the Richmond Group for over thirty years. If there's any firing to be done, I'll do it. Who in God's name do you think you are?'

'I am the new manager.'

'You're what?'

'Me new manager,' Abel repeated. 'Mr. Leroy appointed me, yesterday and I have just fired you, Mr. Pacey.'

'What for?'

'For larceny on a grand scale.'

Abel turned the bills around so that the bespectacled man could see them all properly.

'Every one of these guests paid their bill, but not one penny of the money reached the Richmond account, and they all have one thing in common - your signature is on them.'

'You couldn't prove anything in a hundred years.'

'I know,' said Abel. 'You've been running a good system. Well, you can go and r - tm that system somewhere else because your luck's run out here.

there is an old Polish saying, Mr. Pacey: the pitcher carries water only until the handle breaks. The handle has just broken and you're fired!

'You don't have the authority to fire me,' said Pacey. Sweat peppered out on his forehead despite the coldness of the February day. 'Davis Leroy is a close personal friend of mine. He's the only man who can fire me. You only came out from New York three months ago. He wouldn't even listen to you once I had spoken to him. I could get you thrown out of this hotel with one phone call.'

'Go ahead,' said Abel.

He picked up the telephone and asked the operator to get Davis Leroy in Dallas. The two men waited, staring at each other. The sweat had now trickled down to the tip of Pacey's nose. For a second Abel wondered if his new employer would hold firm.

'Good morning, Mr. Leroy. It's Abel Rosnovski calling from Chicago. I've just fired Desmond Pacey, and he wants a word with you.'

Shakily, Pacey took the telephone. He listened for only a few moments.

'But, Davis, I ... What could I do ... ? I swear to you it isn't true ...

T'here must be some mistake.'

Abel heard the line click.

~One hour, Mr. Pacey,' said Abel, 'or I'll hand over these bills to the Chicago Police Department!

'Now wait a moment,' Pacey said. 'Don't act so hasty.' His tone and attitude had changed abruptly. 'We could bring you in on the whole operation, you could make a very steady little income if we ran this hotel together, and no one would be any the wiser. The money would be far more than you're making as assistant manager and we all know Davis can afford the losses...'

'I'm not the assistant manager any longer, Mr. Pacey. I'm the manager so get out before I throw you out.'

~You fucking Polack,' said the ex - manager, realising he had played his last card and lost. 'You'd better keep your eyes open because you're going to be brought down to size!

Pacey left. By lunch he had been joined on the street by the head waiter, head chef, senior housekeeper, chief desk clerk, head porter, and seventeen other members of the Richmond staff whom Abel felt were past redemption. In the afternoon, he called a meeting of the remainder of the employees, explained to them in detail why what he had done had been necessary, and assured them that their jobs were not in any danger.

'But if I can firid one,' said Abel, 'I repeat, one dollar rni&placed, the person involved will be sacked without references there and then. Am I understood?'