The Last Don - Mario Puzo [145]
CHAPTER 12
CLAUDIA WAS DETERMINED to cash in on her sexual marker with Eli Marrion; she would shame him into giving Ernest Vail the points he wanted on his novel. It was a long shot, but she was willing to compromise her principles. Bobby Bantz was implacable on gross points, but Eli Marrion was unpredictable and had a soft spot for her. Besides, it was an honorable custom in the movie business that sexual congress, no matter how brief, demanded a certain material courtesy.
Vail’s threat of suicide had been the trigger for this meeting. If carried out, the rights to his novel would revert to his former wife and her children, and Molly Flanders would drive a hard bargain. Nobody believed in the threat, not even Claudia, but Bobby Bantz and Eli Marrion, operating from their knowledge of what they would do for money, always had to worry.
When Claudia, Ernest, and Molly arrived at LoddStone, they found only Bobby Bantz in the executive suite. He looked uncomfortable, though he tried to disguise it with effusive greetings, especially to Vail. “Our National Treasure,” he said and hugged Ernest with respectful affection.
Molly was immediately alert, wary. “Where’s Eli?” she said. “He’s the only one who can make the final decision on this.”
Bantz’s voice was reassuring. “Eli’s in the hospital, Cedar Sinai, nothing serious, just a checkup. That’s confidential. The LoddStone stock goes up and down on his health.”
Claudia said dryly, “He’s over eighty, everything is serious.”
“No, no,” Bantz said. “We do business every day in the hospital. He’s even sharper. So present your case to me and I’ll tell him your story when I visit.”
“No,” Molly said curtly.
But Ernest Vail said, “Let’s talk to Bobby.”
They presented their case. Bantz was amused but did not laugh outright. He said, “I’ve heard everything in this town but this is a beauty. I ran it by my lawyers and they say that Vail’s demise does not affect our rights. It’s a complicated legal point.”
“Run it by your PR people,” Claudia said. “If Ernest does it and the whole story comes out LoddStone will look like shit. Eli won’t like that. He has more moral sense.”
“Than me?” Bobby Bantz said politely. But he was furious. Why didn’t people understand that Marrion approved everything he did. He turned to Ernest and said, “How would you knock yourself off? Gun, knife, out the window?”
Vail grinned at him. “Hara-kiri on your desk, Bobby.” They all laughed.
“We’re getting nowhere,” Molly said. “Why can’t we all go to the hospital and see Eli?”
Vail said, “I’m not going to a sick man’s hospital bed and argue about money.”
They all looked at him sympathetically. Of course in conventional terms it seemed insensitive. But men in sickbeds planned murders, revolution, frauds, studio betrayals. A hospital bed was not a true sanctuary. And they knew that Vail’s protest was basically a romantic convention.
Molly said coldly, “Keep your mouth shut, Ernest, if you want to remain my client. Eli has screwed a hundred people from his hospital bed. Bobby, let’s make a sensible deal. LoddStone has a gold mine in the sequels. You can afford to give Ernest a couple of gross points, for insurance.”
Bantz was horrified, a hot stab went through his bowels. “Gross points?” he shouted incredulously. “Never.”
“OK,” Molly said. “How about a structured five percent of the net? No advertising charges, no interest deductions or gross points to the stars.”
Bantz said contemptuously, “That’s almost gross. And we all know that Ernest won’t kill himself. That’s too stupid and he is too intelligent.” What he really wanted to say was that the guy didn’t have the balls.
“Why gamble?” Molly said. “I’ve gone over the figures. You plan at least three sequels. That’s at least a half billion in rentals including foreign but not the videos and TV. And God knows how much money you fucking thieves make in video. So why not give Ernest points, a measly twenty million. You would give