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“That’s a stirring speech, Noah. I suggest you deliver it at the next sales conference to rally the troops. However, I fail to see how the valid points you made relate to either my question or this document.”
“That document,” Noah said, pointing to it where it still lay on the desk, “is our safety net. Publishing is changing constantly and swiftly. Matherly Press must be prepared for any contingency. We must be able to operate with fluidity, so that if an opportunity arises, it can be immediately seized.”
“Without Daniel’s consent.”
Noah assumed a sad expression. “Ah, Howard, that’s the hitch. It breaks Maris’s heart, as it does mine, that Daniel is getting on in years. That’s a sad fact we’ve been forced to accept. If he should take a sudden downward turn, say a stroke that renders him incapable of making business decisions, this power of attorney guarantees a smooth transition and protects the company from being pitched into chaos.”
“I wrote the provisos, Noah. I know their purpose. I also know that similar documents are already in place and have been for years. Daniel’s personal lawyer, Mr. Stern, drew them up when Maris turned twenty-one. I’ve got copies in my files, so I know that these documents include a living will and, as you say, cover every contingency. Should the unforeseen happen, Maris has been granted full power of attorney to make all Daniel’s decisions for him, personally and professionally.”
“I’m aware of the previous documents. This one’s different.”
“Indeed it is. It supersedes the others. It also grants you power of attorney to make Daniel’s decisions for him.”
Noah took umbrage. “Are you suggesting that I’m insinuating myself—”
“No.” Bancroft raised his hands, palms out. “Both Daniel and Maris have mentioned to me the need to amend their power of attorney documents to include you. But that responsibility should fall to Mr. Stern, not to me.”
“You’re more convenient.”
“To whom?”
Noah glared at him. “What else do you find so troubling, Howard?”
The lawyer hesitated, as though knowing it was ill-advised to continue, but apparently his convictions won out over caution. “It feels sleight of hand. I get the impression that this is being done behind Daniel’s back.”
“He’s authorized it. You said so yourself not thirty seconds ago.”
Obviously frustrated, Bancroft ran a hand over his knobby head. “It also bothers me to release such an important document when it hasn’t been signed and witnessed in my presence.”
“I told Maris that I refuse to sign it until she has,” Noah said. “I was adamant about that. She’ll have her signature notarized in Georgia. When the document is returned, I’ll sign it. As soon as she gets back, we’ll meet with Daniel. Frankly, I think he’ll be relieved that it’s a fait accompli. No one likes to think of himself as vulnerable to incapacity or death. He’ll be glad that we relieved him of this responsibility.”
“I’ve never known Daniel Matherly to shrink from life’s realities no matter how grim,” Bancroft argued. “But, that aside, why not wait until Maris’s return and do it all at one time? Explain to me the urgency.”
Noah sighed as though getting a grip on his diminishing patience. “Her being away is one reason Maris wanted this done with dispatch. She’s working with a reclusive fledgling author. Until his manuscript is finished, she’ll be pulled away frequently, and she’ll be out of town for extended and unspecified periods of time. Shit happens, Howard. Plane crashes. Car accidents. Sudden illness. In a worst-case scenario, she wants Matherly Press protected.”
“Is that why the document becomes valid with your signature alone?”
Noah said tightly, “I told Maris, and I’m telling you, I will not sign it until her signature is in place.”
Bancroft exchanged a long stare with him, then shook his head. “I’m sorry, Noah. I need Maris’s verification that this is the document she wants, and even then I will advise her to rethink its provisos. They’re unorthodox and inconsistent with prudence. I’ve worked for the Matherlys for a long time. They rely on me always to act in their best interest. Therefore, I’m sure you understand my precaution.”
“Which is completely unnecessary, besides being a flagrant insult to me.”
“Even so.”
“All right. Call Maris.” He gestured toward the telephone. It was a bluff, but he was gambling that Bancroft wouldn’t call it. “Or better yet, Daniel’s at home today. Ask him to come in and review this.”
“I’d like to reacquaint myself with their original documents prior to a meeting with either of them. Until I’ve had an opportunity to do that, I don’t wish to waste their time.” Bancroft folded his hands on top of the document, a gesture that was a statement in itself. “Unless Daniel or Maris calls me and gives me authorization, I cannot release this document to you today.”
Noah leveled a hard look on him. Then he grinned. And grinned wider. He had actually hoped the meeting would result in a standoff between him and Bancroft. He had hoped that the dwarf wouldn’t capitulate too soon and spoil his fun. Everything till now had been a warm-up for this, the big finish. He was going to enjoy it to the fullest.
“Well, Howard,” he said with soft menace, “it seems as though you suspect me of corporate subterfuge.”
“I suspect you of no such thing,” the lawyer returned blandly.
“That’s good. I’m relieved to hear that. Because I would hate for you to suspect me of duplicity. I find that despicable, don’t you? Duplicity. Betrayal. Disloyalty to one’s family. One’s race.”
Noah held the lawyer’s gaze as he picked up the folder that he’d brought in with him. Gently he set it on the desk and slid it toward Bancroft, who stared at it with the misgivings of one who must remove the lid from a basket, knowing that a cobra was coiled inside. After a full minute of palpable silence and dread, the attorney opened the cover and began to scan the printed material inside.
