I didn't think William would find much fault with a man who was about to hand him twenty million dollars. William, of course, was ecstatic in his own shitty little way. What annoyed me, I think, was not his attitude toward me, or the fact that he had just made a fortune, but the fact that he shed not one tear for the passing of Stanhope Hall. Even I, who had come to hate the place, felt some nostalgia for it, and it hadn't been in my family for generations. William was still talking to his daughter. 'Susan, I'm glad you got the stable moved – ' 'I paid for half of the moving of the stable.'
William glanced at me, then turned back to his daughter and continued, 'Bellarosa told me he wants to move the love temple to his property. He says this fellow of his, Dominic, who did your stable – ' 'You are a schmuck.'
He looked at me in a funny sort of way. 'Excuse me?' 'You are an unprincipled asshole, an utterly cynical bastard, a monumental prick, and a conniving fuck.'
Charlotte made a little choking sound. Susan continued eating her raspberries, with no apparent problem. William tried to say something, but only succeeded in going like this: 'You… you… you… you…' I stood and poked William in the chest. 'You, tightwad, pay for dinner.' I touched Susan's arm. 'You come with me.'
She stood without a word and followed me out of the restaurant.
In the car on the way home, she said, 'Can the love temple actually be moved?' 'Yes, it's post and lintel construction. Sort of like building blocks. It has to be done carefully, but it's possible, and actually easier than the stable.' 'Interesting. I think I'd like to take some courses in building and architecture at Post. That would help me understand more fully what I paint, how it was built, the very soul of the structure, you know, the way Renaissance painters studied skeletons and muscle to paint those fantastic nudes. Perhaps that's all I'm lacking by way of becoming a great painter. What do you think?' 'You may be right.'
We pulled into the gates at Stanhope Hall. The gatehouse was dark, as Ethel was staying with her daughter awhile. Susan said, 'I'm going to miss George very much.'
'Me, too.' I didn't bother to get out of the car and close the gates, since I intended to pass through them again in about five minutes. Susan, of course, noticed this and remained silent all the way to our house. I brought the Jag to the front door, and Susan looked at me.
A few seconds passed, then I said, 'I'm not coming inside. I'll be back for my things tomorrow.'
'Where are you going?'
'That is really not your concern.'
She began to get out of the car, then turned back and said, 'Please don't leave me tonight.' She added, 'But if you do, take your own car.' She put out her hand and smiled. 'Keys, please.'
I shut off the Jag and gave her the keys. Susan unlocked the front door and we both went inside – I to the kitchen to get my own keys, she upstairs to go to bed. As I headed for the front door again, the phone rang and she answered it upstairs. I heard her say, 'Yes, Dad, I'm fine.'
I opened the door to leave, then heard her saying, 'Well, but that must be what he thinks of you or he wouldn't have said it. John is very precise in his choice of words.'
Though I don't like eavesdropping, I paused at the front door and heard her go on, 'No, he will not apologize, and I won't apologize for him.' Silence, then, 'I'm sorry Mother is upset. Actually, I think John would have said more if she weren't there.' Silence again, then, 'All right, Dad, I'll speak to you tomorrow. Yes, Dad…' I called up the stairs, 'Tell the son of a bitch to find another free lawyer.' I heard Susan say, 'Hold on, Dad. John just said, and I quote, 'Tell the son of a bitch to find another free lawyer.' Yes…' She called down to me, 'Father says you're an ambulance chaser, an embarrassment to your father, and an incompetent.'
'Tell him he's not half the man his father was, and the best part of him ran down Augustus's leg.'
Susan said, 'Dad, John says he disagrees with that. Good night.' I heard her hang up. She called down to me, 'Good night, John.'
I headed up the stairs. 'I need my overnight bag.'
I went into our bedroom to get my bag out of the closet, and Susan, who must have been undressing as she spoke on the phone, was lying on top of the sheets, her legs crossed and reading a magazine, stark naked. Well, I mean, there's something about a naked woman, you know, and I was really feeling my oats and all, having just told William Stanhope what I thought of him, and there was his bitchy daughter, lying there stark naked. In some instinctive sort of way, I knew I had to ravish her to complete my victory. So I did. She seemed to enjoy it.
Now, a real primitive would have left afterward, to show his contempt for her and her whole clan. But I was pretty tired, and it was late, so I watched some TV and fell asleep.
PART V
The public be damned.
William Henry Vanderbilt
Reply to a newspaper reporter, 1882
CHAPTER 25
Despite my announcement that I was leaving home, or perhaps because of it, Susan and I were getting along better. We both agreed that I had been under some financial and professional strain, and that George's death had caused us both some emotional trauma, and even the sale of Stanhope Hall had probably contributed to my outburst in the restaurant and my announcement when we got home. I assured Susan, however, that I still thought her father was a monumental prick. She seemed willing to let it go at that.
Anyway, toward the end of July, Mr Melzer called me at home to inform me that he had worked out a deal with the Internal Revenue Service. To wit: I would pay them $215,000 within sixty days and they would consider the obligation fulfilled. Mr Melzer seemed pleased with his work. He said, 'That is a savings to you of $99,513.'
'But then I would owe you about fifty thousand dollars, Mr Melzer, and I've already paid you twenty thousand. So really, Mr Melzer, if you do a little arithmetic, you have saved me only about thirty thousand dollars. I could have done as well myself.'
'But I did the work for you, Mr Sutter.' He cleared his throat over the phone. 'And there was the matter of the criminal charges. That alone is worth -' 'Get them down another ten or shave your commission.'
'But -'
I hung up. After a decent interval of an hour or so, Mr Melzer called back. 'They will take two hundred and ten thousand dollars, Mr Sutter. That is the best I can do. I will make up the other five to you. Considering they could still bring criminal charges against you, I suggest you settle.' 'I never understood, Mr Melzer, why the IRS and the Mafia haven't merged.' Mr Melzer chuckled and replied, 'Professional jealousy.' He added, 'Can you have the cheque ready within sixty days?'
'Yes.'
'Fine. I'll hand-deliver the cheque to the IRS and see that it is properly credited. That is part of my service.'
There was a not-too-subtle subtext there. I said, 'And I suppose you'd like to pick up your cheque at the same time.'
'That would be very convenient.'
'All right. Call me in thirty days.'
'Fine. And thank you, Mr Sutter. It has been a delight working with a man of such refinement.'
