to fly to Baltimore on short notice. And we’ll have to offer to pay their fares. I’m not sure my credit card will stand it.”
“I have an American Express card my mom gave me for emergencies. I know she’ll consider this an emergency.”
“What a great mom,” Jeannie said enviously.
“That’s the truth.”
Lisa came back in and plugged her computer into Jeannie’s modem line.
“Wait a minute,” Jeannie said. “Let’s get organized.”
58
JEANNIE WROTE THE PRESS RELEASE, LISA ACCESSED WorldSpan Travelshopper and checked flights, and Steve got the Yellow Pages and started calling all the major hotels to say: “Do you have a press conference scheduled tomorrow for Genetico Inc. or Landsmann?”
After six tries it occurred to him that the press conference did not have to take place in a hotel. It could be held in a restaurant or a more exotic location such as on board a ship; or they might have a big enough room at Genetico headquarters, just north of the city. But on his seventh call a helpful desk clerk said: “Yes, that’s in the Regency Room at noon, sir.”
“Great!” Steve said. Jeannie looked questioningly at him, and Steve grinned and made a thumbs-up sign. “Could I reserve a room for tonight, please?”
“I’ll connect you with reservations. Please hold on for one moment.”
He booked a room, paying with his mother’s American Express card. As he hung up, Lisa said: “There are three flights that would get Henry King here on time, all US Air. They leave at six-twenty, seven-forty, and nine forty-five. Seats are available on all of them.”
“Book a seat on the nine forty-five,” Jeannie said.
Steve passed Lisa the credit card and she tapped in the details.
Jeannie said: “I still don’t know how to persuade him to come.”
“Did you say he’s a student, working in a bar?” Steve said. “Yeah.”
“He needs money. Let me try something. What’s his number?”
Jeannie gave it to him. “He’s called Hank,” she said.
Steve called the number. No one answered the phone. He shook his head disappointedly. “Nobody home,” he said.
Jeannie looked downcast for a moment, then she snapped her fingers. “Maybe he’s working at that bar.” She gave Steve the number and he dialed it.
The phone was answered by a man with a Hispanic accent. “The Blue Note.”
“May I speak to Hank?”
“He’s supposed to be working, you know?” the man said irritably.
Steve grinned at Jeannie and mouthed
A minute later a voice just like Steve’s own came down the line. “Yeah, who’s this?”
“Hi, Hank, my name is Steve Logan, and we have something in common.”
“Are you selling something?”
“Your mother and mine both received treatment at a place called the Aventine Clinic before we were born. You can check that with her.”
“Yeah, so?”
“To cut a long story short, I’m suing the clinic for ten million dollars and I’d like you to join in the suit with me.”
There was a thoughtful pause. “I don’t know if you’re for real or not, buddy, but either way I don’t have the money for a lawsuit.”
“I’ll pay all the legal costs. I don’t want your money.”
“So why are you calling me?”
“Because my case would be strengthened by having you on board.”
“You better write me with the details—”
“That’s the problem. I need you to be here in Baltimore, at the Stouffer Hotel, tomorrow at noon. I’m holding a press conference ahead of my lawsuit and I want you to appear.”
“Who wants to go to Baltimore? Like, it’s not Honolulu.”
“You’re offering to split ten million dollars with me?”
“Oh, no. You get your own ten million.”
“What are you suing them for?”
“Breach of implied contract by fraud.”
“I’m a business student. Isn’t there a statute of limitations on that? Anything that happened twenty-three years ago—”
“There is a statute of limitations, but it runs from the time of discovery of the fraud. Which in this case was last week.”
In the background, a Hispanic voice shouted: “Hey, Hank, you got about a hundred customers waiting!”
Hank said into the phone: “You’re beginning to sound a little more convincing.”
“Does that mean you’ll come?”
“Hell, no. It means I’ll think about it after I get off work tonight. Now I have to serve drinks.”
“You can reach me at the hotel,” Steve said, but he was too late: Hank had hung up.
Jeannie and Lisa were staring at him.
He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said frustratedly. “I don’t know if I convinced him or not.”
Lisa said: “We’ll just have to wait and see if he shows up.”
“What does Wayne Stattner do for a living?”
“He owns nightclubs. He probably already has ten million dollars.”
“Then we’ll have to pique his curiosity. Do you have a number?”
“Yes.”
Steve called it, and got an answering machine. “Hi, Wayne, my name is Steve Logan and you may notice that my voice sounds exactly like yours. That’s because, believe it or not, we are identical. I’m six feet two, a hundred and ninety pounds, and I look exactly like you except for hair color. Some other things we probably have in common: I’m allergic to macadamia nuts, I have no nails on my little toes, and when I’m thinking I scratch the back of my left hand with the fingers of my right. Now here’s the kicker: We’re not twins. There are several of us. One committed a crime at Jones Falls University last Sunday—that’s why you got a visit from the Baltimore police yesterday. And we’re meeting tomorrow at the Stouffer Hotel in Baltimore at noon. This is weird, Wayne, but I swear to you it’s all true. Call me or Dr. Jean Ferrami at the hotel, or just show up. It will be interesting.” He hung up and looked at Jeannie. “What do you think?”
She shrugged. “He’s a man who can afford to follow his whims. He may be intrigued. And a nightclub owner probably doesn’t have anything pressing to do on a Monday morning. On the other hand, I wouldn’t take a plane on the strength of a phone message like that.”
The phone rang and Steve picked it up automatically. “Hello?”
“Can I speak to Steve?” The voice was unfamiliar.
“This is Steve.”
“This is Uncle Preston. I’m putting your dad on.”
Steve did not have an uncle Preston. He frowned, mystified. A moment later another voice came on the line. “Is anyone with you, is she listening?”
Suddenly Steve understood. Mystification gave way to shock. He could not think what to do. “Hold on a moment,” he said. He covered the mouthpiece with his hand. “I think this is Berrington Jones!” he said to Jeannie.
