The Collected Short Stories - Jeffrey Archer [75]
Marvin licked his lips again, even though they had told him not to do so on countless refresher courses, especially when going in for the kill.
“So, what amount do you think I should go for?” asked David, continuing to make sure it was always Marvin who took the lead.
“Well, a million is comfortably within your credit range,” said Marvin, once again checking his little book of tables. “The monthly payments might seem a bit steep to begin with, but as the years go by, what with inflation and your continual salary increases, you can expect that in time they will become almost insignificant.”
“How much would I have to pay each month to end up getting a million?” asked David, attempting to give the impression he might have been hooked.
“Assuming we select your sixtieth birthday for terminating the contract, a little over a thousand dollars a month,” said Marvin, trying to make it sound a mere pittance. “And don’t forget, sixty percent of it is tax deductible, so in real terms you’ll only be paying around fifteen dollars a day, while you end up getting a million, just at the time when you most need it. And by the way, that one thousand is constant, it never goes up. In fact it’s inflation-proof.” He let out a dreadful shrill laugh.
“But would I still receive the full sum, whatever happens to the market?”
“One million dollars on your sixtieth birthday,” confirmed Marvin, “whatever happens, short of the world coming to an end. Even I can’t write a policy for that,” he said, letting out another shrill laugh. “However, my friend, if unhappily you were to die before your sixtieth birthday—which God forbid—your dependents would receive the full amount immediately.”
“I don’t have any dependents,” said David, trying to look bored.
“There must be someone you care about,” said Marvin. “A good-looking guy like you.”
“Why don’t you leave the forms with me, Mr. Roebuck, and I’ll think about it over the weekend? I promise I’ll get back to you.”
Marvin looked disappointed. He didn’t need a refresher course to be told that you’re supposed to nail the client to the wall at the first meeting, not let them get away, because that only gave them time to think things over. His lips felt dry.
Pat returned from the evening shift in the early hours of the morning, but David had stayed awake so he could go over what had happened at the meeting with Marvin. Pat was apprehensive and uncertain about the plan. David had always taken care of any problems they had had in the past, especially financial ones, and Pat wasn’t sure how it would all work out once David was no longer around to give his advice. Thank God it was David who’d had to deal with Marvin—Pat couldn’t even say no to a door-to-door salesman.
“So, what do we do next?” asked Pat.
“Wait.”
“But you promised Marvin you’d get back to him.”
“I know, but I have absolutely no intention of doing so,” said David, placing his arm around Pat’s shoulders. “I’d bet a hundred dollars on Marvin phoning me first thing on Monday morning. And don’t forget, I still need it to look as if he’s the one who’s doing the pushing.”
As they climbed into bed, Pat felt an attack of asthma coming on, and decided now was not the time to ask David to go over the details again. After all, as David had explained again and again, there would never be any need for Pat to meet Marvin.
Marvin phoned at 8:30 on Monday morning.
“Hoped to catch you before you went off to sell those stocks and bonds,” he said. “Have you come to a decision?”
“Yes, I have,” said David. “I discussed the whole idea with my mother over the weekend, and she thinks I should go for the million, because five hundred thousand may not turn out to be such a large sum of money by the time I reach sixty.”
Marvin was glad that David couldn’t see him licking his lips. “Your mother’s obviously a shrewd woman,” was his only comment.
“Can I leave you to handle all the paperwork?” asked David, trying to sound as if he didn’t want to deal with any of the details.
“You bet,” said Marvin. “Don’t even think about it,