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“ ‘Other traits are unique to certain individuals. They define the person and his character. Among these traits are admirable examples like humility, charity, bravery.
“ ‘Unfortunately these have dark counterparts like jealousy, greed, and envy. Persons governed by one of these traits typically cloak it with charm, and most are very successful at it, because along with the trait invariably comes the cunning to conceal it.
“ ‘Nevertheless, the trait lives and matures inside them as insidiously as an eel inside a cave, waiting, even anticipating, the times when it can strike anything or anyone that threatens.
“ ‘I do not wish to speak ill of your friend. I would like to think that my barometer for integrity has failed me completely, and that I am terribly wrong about the qualities that motivate him.
“ ‘But I remember Mr. Grayson’s machinations which caused you to be late for an important meeting with me. Plainly put, it was a dirty trick with malicious overtones. Frankly, I’m surprised that the friendship survived it. It’s a credit to you that it did. I don’t think Mr. Grayson has it within himself to forgive to that extent, which is yet another notable disparity between your characters.
“ ‘I wouldn’t
presume to choose your friends for you. I wouldn’t want the responsibility even if you were to grant it to me. But I’ll conclude by using an expression I’ve heard around campus. It’s a contemporary idiom which does the English language a grave disservice, but which, in this distance, seems appropriate: Heads-up.
“ ‘I look forward to reading the next draft of your manuscript. In your cover letters, you never fail to apologize for taking up my time, and to thank me for the careful consideration I give your work. Mr. Slade, be clear on this: it is a privilege, not an imposition. Sincerely yours, Professor Hadley.’ ”
Parker refolded the pages and returned them to his shirt pocket. No one spoke for a moment. Maris had been lulled by his words and the cadence with which he’d read them. She shook off the mild daze and gave the swing a gentle push.
“So Todd’s gut instincts were right. Roark’s reviews from Hadley were better than the ones he received.”
Parker nodded. “And Roark was dishonest about it.”
“I don’t think that matters.”
He looked across at her, and the intensity of his stare compelled her to continue the thought.
“Todd wouldn’t have taken it well if Roark had said, ‘You guessed right. Hadley thinks you’re a hack with limited talent, while he believes I have the potential of being the next Steinbeck.’ ”
Mike agreed. “If Roark had told him the truth out there on the beach, Todd would have ended their relationship then and there. Your story would be over. The end.”
Parker grunted a nonresponse.
Reading from the manuscript seemed to have darkened his mood, although Maris couldn’t figure why. The content had obviously captivated her and Mike. The letter had been a clever way to move his story along without relying strictly on narrative. Since she and Mike had approved it, she couldn’t account for his sullenness. “What’s bothering you, Parker?”
“Roark’s supposed to be the good guy, right? He’s the lamb in the goat/lamb comparison.”
“That’s one way of looking at it, I suppose.”
“It doesn’t bother you that he deceived his friend?”
“His motivation wasn’t deception. It was kindness. He was trying to spare Todd from what Hadley referred to as the ‘sad truth,’ because he knew it would be devastating. Todd simply wasn’t as talented as Roark. Roark might have sensed from the beginning that Todd lacked—”
She snapped her fingers. “No, he knew it. Didn’t he? Of course he knew that he was better. He had to know it. Or else why did he get a post office box to prevent his mail from coming to their apartment? He was afraid that Todd would intercept one of his glowing critiques from Hadley.”
“Nothing escapes you,” he said, his mood seeming to lift. “Now forget that you know it.”
“Why?”
“Because it becomes crucial in the next chapter or so.”
“The mention of the post office box was a foreshadowing?”
He smiled enigmatically.
“Todd intercepts one of the letters, right?” she guessed. “Maybe even this letter, because this is the one that could be the most damaging to the friendship. It spells out the differences in their talent and their characters. Todd… uh, let’s see, he borrows a pair of jeans or something, maybe without asking Roark, and he finds the letter in a pocket.”
“Thanks. I hadn’t figured out yet how he was going to get his hands on it. That’s pretty good.”
She beamed. “Todd reads this letter. He can’t believe what he’s reading. His secret fear is realized. Roark is superior to him. That’s why he had tried to sabotage Roark with Professor Hadley. It hadn’t worked. Indeed, it backfired. Hadley saw through him. Furthermore, Roark has won Hadley’s praise. A double whammy for Todd. He reacts by… doing what?”
