"Yes, Der." The door closed.
Derrence lit a cigarette. He no longer trembled. In that luncheon
invitation he read a deal.
* * * * *
At noon, Tzadi appeared in the office doorway. Derrence was dictating
a memo to Personnel on the company's tacit acceptance of two-hour lunch
periods by all but secretarial help. He broke off in mid-sentence and
smiled at Mercy. "We'll finish later, dear. You've typed those other
memos, haven't you?" Mercy said, "Most of them." She rose and turned to
the door, and only then saw Tzadi. She said, "Hi, Ed," and walked by
him and out of the office.
Tzadi came inside. "Lovely young lady." It was a remarkably mild
comment compared to what most of the writers said when watching Mercy
swinging along. She was nineteen, and very good to look at--especially
from the rear. Which was further proof, if any were needed, that Tzadi
was the company spy type; not likely to be swayed by emotions that
moved other men. Yet he wanted _something_; of that Derrence was sure.
It could only be money.
"Yes," Derrence said. "I keep her busy. Memos, memos, dozens of memos."
Which was the truth, except that once Mercy brought him the memos,
neatly typed, he tore them into small pieces and filed them in his
waste basket.
"Is she dependable in her work?" Tzadi asked, looking as if he were
thinking of other things.
"I thought you knew her. She seemed to know you--calling you by your
first name."
Tzadi blinked his eyes. "I met her this morning. You know these young
girls--friendly as kittens."
Derrence nodded, but maintained his smile. Mercy only _looked_ like
Venus. Actually, she was shy and reserved, especially with strangers.
For her to say, "Hi, Ed," required a minimum of several weeks
acquaintanceship. That meant she had met Tzadi _before_ he came to
this floor. That meant she was--unwittingly, perhaps--an accomplice of
Tzadi's. Which in turn meant that the fat man had all the information
he needed to get Derrence fired. But it no longer bothered Derrence. He
and Tzadi were going to make a deal. He would bet his life on it.
They walked into the hall. Derrence said, "Well, Ed, it's going to be a
long, interesting lunch. Shall we splurge and try Manfredo's? They have
a degree of privacy which, I'm sure, we'll both appreciate."