‘There are still a couple of other congressmen who are playing hard to get. I think we should give them a chance to get on board now or screw them.’
‘You are feeling heady. I can tell.’
‘I’m feeling like a winner.’
‘Well, the trip was a success. Excellent.’ DeLaroza took out a Havana cigar, but he did not unwrap it. He twirled it m his fingers. He had been waiting sixteen years for this moment, the moment of reckoning. Now at last was the time to test power with power. He enjoyed the moments of anticipation. Hotchins sensed his mood.
‘Is something bothering you?’ he asked.
‘No, not really. Why do you ask?’
‘Victor, I’ve known you intimately for sixteen years. I know when something is bothering you.’
DeLaroza smiled. ‘And here I thought I was so inscrutable.’
‘You may be to others. Your Chinese friends are certainly inscrutable. But I know you. What is it? Are we having a problem with Lowenthal?’
A problem with Lowenthal, DeLaroza thought. If we were, who is more capable of handling it than I? He was somewhat nervous anyway, although he bad carefully planned the conversation. But now Hotchins was beginning to annoy him. He was being. . . he was being smug. DeLaroza smiled and said quietly, ‘Not at all. I spent the evening with him and we had coffee this morning. He was nervous about starting the campaign so soon, but I believe he is convinced it is for the best.’
‘Good,’ Hotchins patted DeLaroza’s leg. ‘I’m glad you’re finally getting directly involved.’
Directly involved. There it was again. The man is beginning to treat me as though he is the president.
‘I was under the impression I was always directly involved,’ DeLaroza said, trying to hide his growing anger.
‘Oh, of course, of course,’ Hotchins raid. ‘I just mean you’re more open now. You were always so damn cautious about publicity and pictures. it was almost a phobia.’
‘Phobia?’
‘Well, you know what I mean, Anyway, of course you’re involved. You’ve been a close confidant for years.’
Confidant. DeLaroza began to laugh out loud. The audacity of this man.
‘What’s so funny?’ Hotchins said.
‘You are. My God, your smugness goes beyond conceit.’
‘Smugness. What do you mean, smugness?’
‘You are smug, Donald. You think you have done this, gone this far, all by yourself? The one-man show, eh? Why do you think Lowenthal is here? Because I talked to him. Several times. Because I paid his expenses down here. Because I guaranteed that the financing is available. You think he is an amateur? And now that he is here, it is business, not charisma. Politics is business.’
‘I don’t believe you. The first thing we discussed was the cost of the campaign.’
‘Of course. It is the key to victory. He wants reassurance, Mr. Senator. He cannot afford to ride another loser. And then, after you discussed the business, to whom did you come running? To me. Your confidant, Donald? I have pulled your strings for years.’
‘Nobody pulls my strings,’ Hotchins said. His eyes burned with fury.
‘Oh? And who told you when you were ready for the senate race? You were not sure. I made the decision. And I paid for the campaign. And who decided this would be the right year for the big one. Was it you, Donald? No. I said, this is the right year, this is the year we do it.’
‘Why don’t you just run the race, too?’
‘I wish I could. I am a naturalized citizen. It could never be.’
‘Nobody owns me, Victor. And nobody’s going to own me when I get into the White House.’
‘Without rue there will be no White House.’
‘What is this?’ Hotchins said. ‘Why this sudden attack? What do you want?’
‘Recognition. For years I have been the man in the wings, giving away the credit for everything I have achieved. You take the credit here and you take the credit there. I want recognition,’ he said, and then, louder: ‘I want recognition.’
Hotchins sneered at him. ‘I should have known. Sixteen years and you’ve never asked for anything. And now, the! worm turns.’
‘Now the worm can turn,’ DeLaroza said,
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
DeLaroza smiled. ‘It is quite a long story. I do not think now is the time to bore you with it. Besides, there is something else I must tell you. And believe me, it is not a happy task.’
‘What? What’s happened?
‘It concerns Domino.’
Hotchins relaxed. He waved his hand towards DeLaroza as if dismissing the discussion before it started. ‘You can forget Domino. Domino is past history. That problem’s solved.’
