Kane & Abel (1979) (50 page)

‘Buckle down and do some work for a few weeks. In no time everyone will have forgotten all about it.’

‘Is that what you want?’

‘Yes.’

‘I shall do as you command, O Master,’ said Matthew, and he clicked his heels and walked out of the room.

‘Oh, hell,’ said William as he sank back into his chair.

That afternoon William needed to go over a client’s portfolio with Matthew, but nobody was able to find him. He had not returned to the office after lunch, and was not seen again that day.

Even the pleasure of putting young Richard to bed that evening could not distract William from his anxiety about Matthew. William was trying to teach him to count, but having little success.

‘If you can’t count, Richard, how can you ever hope to be a banker,’ William was saying as Kate entered the nursery.

‘Perhaps he’ll end up doing something worthwhile,’ said Kate.

‘What’s more worthwhile than banking?’

‘Well, he might be a musician, or a baseball player, or even President of the United States.’

‘Of those three I’d prefer him to be a ball player - it’s the only one that pays a decent salary,’ said William as he tucked Richard up.

‘You look exhausted, darling. I hope you haven’t forgotten that we’re having drinks with Andrew MacKenzie this evening.’

‘Oh hell, it had totally slipped my mind. When’s he expecting us?’

‘In about an hour.’

‘Well, first I’m going to take a long, hot bath.’

‘I thought that was a woman’s privilege,’ said Kate.

‘Tonight I need a little pampering. I’ve had a nerve-racking day.’

‘Tony Simmons causing trouble again?’

‘Yes, but I’m afraid this time he’s right. He’s been complaining about Matthew’s drinking. I was only thankful he didn’t mention the womanizing. It’s become impossible to take Matthew anywhere nowadays unless the drink and the eldest daughter - not to mention the occasional wife - have been safely locked up before his arrival.’

William soaked in the tub for more than half an hour, and Kate had to drag him out before he fell asleep. Despite her prompting, they arrived at the MacKenzies’ twenty-five minutes late, to find that Matthew was already well on the way to being inebriated and was trying to pick up a congressman’s wife. William wanted to intervene, but Kate prevented him.

‘Don’t say anything,’ she said.

‘I can’t stand here and watch my closest friend going to pieces in front of my eyes,’ said William. ‘I have to do something.’

But in the end he took Kate’s advice, and spent an unhappy evening watching Matthew become progressively more drunk. From the other side of the room Tony Simmons was glancing pointedly at William, who was relieved when Matthew left early, even if it was in the company of the only unattached woman at the party. Once Matthew had gone, William started to relax for the first time that day.

‘How is little Richard?’ Dr MacKenzie asked.

‘He can’t count yet,’ said William.

‘That’s good news. He might end up doing something worthwhile after all.’

‘Exactly what I said,’ said Kate. ‘What a good idea, William, he can be a doctor.’

‘He should be able to manage that,’ said MacKenzie. ‘I don’t know many doctors who can count.’

‘Except when they send their bills,’ said William.

MacKenzie laughed. ‘Will you have another drink, Kate?’

‘No thank you, Andrew. It’s time we went home. If we stay any longer, only Tony Simmons and William will be left, and we’d have to listen to them talk banking for the rest of the evening.’

‘Thanks for the party, Andrew,’ said William. ‘By the way, I must apologize for Matthew’s behaviour.’

‘Why?’ said Dr MacKenzie.

‘Oh, come on, Andrew, not only was he drunk, but there wasn’t a woman in the room he didn’t proposition.’

‘I might well do the same if I were in his predicament,’ said Dr MacKenzie.

‘What makes you say that?’ said William. ‘You can’t approve of his conduct just because he’s single.’

‘No I don’t, but I try to understand, and realize I might be a little irresponsible faced with the same problem.’

‘What do you mean?’ said William.

‘Oh, my God,’ said Dr MacKenzie. ‘You’re his closest friend, and he hasn’t told you?’

‘Told us what?’ said Kate and William together.

Dr MacKenzie looked at them with disbelief in his eyes.

‘You’d better come to my study. Both of you.’

William and Kate followed him into a small room, lined almost floor to ceiling with medical books interspersed with occasional photographs of Dr MacKenzie’s student days at Cornell and the odd framed certificate.

‘Please sit down,’ he said. ‘William, I make no apologies for what I’m about to say, because I assumed you knew that Matthew was gravely ill, suffering from Hodgkin’s disease. He’s known about his condition for over a year.’

William fell back in his chair, for a moment unable to speak. ‘Hodgkin’s disease?’

‘An almost invariably fatal inflammation and enlargement of the lymph nodes,’ said the doctor rather formally.

William shook his head incredulously. ‘But why didn’t he tell me?’

‘My guess is he’s too proud to burden anyone else with his problems. He’d rather die in his own way than let anyone know what he’s going through. I’ve begged him for the last six months to tell his father, and I’ve certainly broken my professional promise to him by letting you know, but I can’t allow you to go on blaming him for his behaviour without knowing the truth.’

‘Thank you, Andrew,’ said William. ‘How can I have been so blind and so stupid?’

‘Don’t blame yourself,’ said Dr MacKenzie. ‘There’s no way you could have known.’

‘Is there really no hope?’ asked Kate.

‘None. It’s only the length of time I can’t be sure about.’

‘Are there no clinics, no specialists? Money wouldn’t be a problem.’

‘Money can’t buy everything, William. I’ve already consulted the three best surgeons in America, and even one in Switzerland. I’m afraid they all agree with my diagnosis. Medical science hasn’t yet discovered a cure for Hodgkin’s disease.’

‘How long does he have to live?’ asked Kate in a whisper.

‘Six months at the outside would be my bet, but more likely three.’

‘And I thought I had problems,’ said William. He held tightly onto Kate’s hand. ‘We must be going, Andrew. Thank you for telling us.’

‘Do what you can for him,’ said the doctor, ‘but for God’s sake, be understanding. Let him do what he wants to do. These are Matthew’s last few months, not yours. And don’t ever let him know I told you.’

William and Kate drove home in silence. As soon as they reached the Red House, William phoned the woman Matthew had left the party with.

‘Would it be possible to speak to Matthew Lester?’

‘He’s not here,’ said a rather irritated voice. ‘He dragged me off to the Revue Club, and after a couple of drinks he left with another woman.’ She hung up.

The Revue Club. William looked it up in the phone book, then drove over to the north side of town and, after questioning a taxi driver, eventually found the club. He knocked on the door. A hatch slid open.

‘Are you a member?’

‘No,’ said William firmly, and passed a ten-dollar bill through the grille.

The hatch slid shut and the door opened. William walked across the middle of the dance floor, looking slightly incongruous in his three-piece banker’s suit. The dancers twined around each other and swayed incuriously away from him. William’s eyes searched the smoke-filled room for Matthew, but he wasn’t there. Finally he thought he recognized one of Matthew’s more recent girlfriends, sitting in a corner with a sailor. William went over to her.

‘Excuse me, miss.’

She looked up, but clearly didn’t recognize William.

‘The lady’s with me. Beat it,’ said the sailor.

‘Have you seen Matthew Lester?’

‘Matthew who?’ said the girl.

‘I told you to get lost,’ said the sailor, rising to his feet.

‘One more word out of you and you’ll be back on deck,’ said William.

The sailor had seen anger like that in a man’s eyes once before in his life, and had nearly lost an eye for his trouble. He sat back down.

‘Where’s Matthew?’

‘I don’t know a Matthew, honey.’ Now she sounded frightened.

‘Six feet two, blond hair, dressed like me and probably drunk.’

‘Oh, you mean Martin. He calls himself Martin here, not Matthew.’ She began to relax. ‘Now let me see, who did he go off with tonight?’ She turned her head towards the bar and shouted at the bartender. ‘Terry, who did Martin leave with?’

The bartender removed a dead cigarette butt from the corner of his mouth. ‘Jenny,’ he said, and put the unlit cigarette back in place.

‘Jenny, that’s right,’ said the girl. ‘Now, let me see, she’s short sessions. Never gives a man more than half an hour, so they should be back soon.’

‘Thank you,’ said William.

He took a seat at the bar and a scotch with a lot of water, feeling more and more out of place by the minute. Finally the bartender, the unlit cigarette still in his mouth, nodded in the direction of a girl who was coming through the door.

‘That’s Jenny, if you still want her,’ he said. Matthew was nowhere to be seen.

The bartender waved for Jenny to join them. A slim, short, dark, not unattractive girl winked at William and walked towards him, her hips swinging.

‘Looking for me, darling? Well, I’m available, but it’s ten dollars for half an hour.’

‘No, I don’t want you,’ said William.

‘Charming,’ said Jenny.

‘I’m looking for the man who you were with. Matthew - I mean Martin.’

‘Martin, he was too drunk to get it up with the help of a crane, but he paid his ten dollars - he always does. A real gentleman.’

‘Where is he now?’ asked William impatiently.

‘I don’t know. He said he was going to walk home.’

William drove slowly through the rain covered streets, following the route towards Matthew’s apartment, looking carefully at every man he passed. Some hurried on when they saw him staring at them, while others tried to engage him in conversation. He had stopped at a traffic light outside an all-night diner when he caught sight of Matthew through the steamy window, weaving his way through the tables with a cup in his hand. William parked the car, walked into the diner and took the seat opposite him. Matthew was slumped on the table next to a cup of untouched coffee.

‘Matthew, it’s me,’ said William, looking at his crumpled friend. Tears started to run down his cheeks.

Matthew looked up and spilled some of his coffee. ‘You’re crying, old fellow. Lost your girl, have you?’

‘No, I’ve lost my closest friend.’

‘Ah, they’re much harder to come by.’

‘I know,’ said William.

‘I have a good friend,’ said Matthew, slurring his words. ‘He’s always stood by me until we quarrelled for the first time the other day. My fault though. You see, I’ve let him down rather badly.’

‘No, you haven’t,’ said William.

‘How can you know?’ said Matthew angrily. ‘You’re not even fit to know him.’

‘Let’s go home, Matthew.’

‘My name is Martin,’ said Matthew.

‘I’m sorry, Martin, let’s go home.’

‘No, I want to stay here. There’s this girl who may come by later. I think I’m ready for her now.’

‘I have some fine old malt whiskey at my place,’ said William. ‘Why don’t you join me?’

‘Any women at your place?’

‘Yes, plenty of them.’

‘You’re on, I’ll come.’

William hoisted Matthew up and guided him slowly towards the door. As they passed two policemen sitting at the counter, William heard one of them say, ‘Goddamn fairies.’

He helped Matthew into the car and drove him to Beacon Hill. Kate was waiting up for them.

‘You should have gone to bed, darling.’

‘I couldn’t sleep,’ she said.

‘I’m afraid he’s nearly incoherent.’

‘Is this the girl you promised me?’ asked Matthew.

‘Yes, she’ll take care of you,’ said William, as he and Kate helped him up to the guest room and put him on the bed. Kate started to undress him.

‘You must undress as well, darling,’ he said. ‘I’ve already paid my ten dollars.’

‘When you’re in bed,’ said Kate gently.

‘Why are you looking so sad, beautiful lady?’ said Matthew.

‘Because I love you,’ said Kate, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

‘Don’t cry,’ said Matthew. ‘There’s nothing to cry about. I’ll manage it this time, you’ll see.’

When they had undressed him, William covered him with a sheet and a blanket. Kate turned out the light.

‘You promised you’d come to bed with me,’ Matthew said drowsily.