The Stopover: Crossed Paths: The Stopover, #4

By Peter Thomson

Greg Mitchell had everything, position, wealth, a beautiful wife and a glittering future. Acclaimed as UK's businessman of the decade. In the crash of a judge's gavel he had nothing and nobody to support him, losing it all through the treachery of his wife's family and those closest to him. Instead of fighting back, he ran away to the United States, ostensibly to find himself. 

While following a vexing diversion through the small, Nebraskan town of Bamptonville, Greg knocked down Jesse White  – a 17 year old farm boy and high school student. Jesse was hurrying across the road, late for a part-time job interview in a grocery store.

Jesse had nothing except an urgent need for income to continue paying his way at school. He declined Greg's offer of cash. 'Nah, Mister! It was as much my fault as yours.' The boy's honesty and integrity changed Greg's outlook on life. He decided to stay and help the boy by setting up a small, waste oil to diesel plant to part-fund his costs. A move distrusted by many in town, and unwelcomed by others – dirty tricks and rumors against them began.

This is the fourth book in The Stopover series. It starts with Bamptonville in turmoil. Its five-man oligarchy is in disarray and turning on each other. They are agreed on one thing – Greg Mitchell is the root cause of their disruption.

The local crime-boss lurks in the shadows, watching and gloating. Greg's departure would clear the remaining obstacle hindering his future plans for Jesse.

Vilified, maligned, misunderstood and alone, but stiffened in resolve by past betrayal, Greg ignores the town people's hostility. He's done with running away.

Wayne Fisher arrives from Florida with a proposition big enough to persuade Greg to leave Bamptonville. Wayne needs a CEO of Greg's caliber to bring a project to market, the time for which is now in a venture promising to yield more riches than Apple, Microsoft and Facebook combined.

To join Wayne's company, Greg would have to leave behind Jesse and another group of downtrodden people he's promised to help.

Dilemma! Shall he break his word to them and leave, or keep his word and turn down the best business offer he'll ever get in his lifetime?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Signature Proof
• Release date: Jun 22, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386759324

Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson has lived a rich and varied life as a soldier, commercial seafarer and businessman. He was born under the Gemini star sign and raised in a village on the outskirts of the old Roman city of St.Albans. Humour and tease tempered the hard manual work of the family's day. Peter quickly developed his wits to give as good as he got. Whenever his father ribbed him,he would come back with 'You weren't at Mum's bedside when I was born. You were away at the beach with your mates.' It felled his father with laughter each time it was said. Thomson's father was fighting the rear guard action at Dunkirk when Peter came into the world.  Some beach! Motivated by unfairness and injustice in our society, Peter will often craft his fiction around real events. 'Nobody has gone to jail yet for inflicting the sub-prime mortgage scam on the world. ‘That has to be wrong,' according to Thomson.  He makes the point along with an explanation of how it happened, and the unregulated corporate greed that engineered it in the second volume of his 'The Stopover' series. He now lives in South West France with his wife and a colony of feral cats. When not writing articles and books, Peter grows enormous quantities of fruit and vegetables. In addition to continuing The Stopover series, Peter's other work in progress - Drive For Freedom - about an Afghan family's flight from evil.”

Book preview

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to:

LAURA STEWART



PAUL HAMMOND

On becoming:

Mr. & Mrs. STEWART- HAMMOND.

23rd June 2018

Where there is love, there is life’

Mahatma Gandhi

The Story So Far:

COLLEGE PRINCIPAL ARMSTRONG has forbidden Jess from having anything more to do with Greg Mitchell on pain of expulsion. Jess must report back to the Principal next Monday morning with a credible plan for settling his $300 school debt before the end of the semester in a month’s time.

Jess is unaware Dr. Armstrong had since withdrawn the restrictions placed on him after taking advice from Sheriff Donovan. Armstrong told senior student Leon–one of Felix’s boys–to inform Jess, but Felix prevented him from doing so, since it better suited his own purposes for the coming Sunday shoot if Jess believed he was still under restriction.

Under pressure to settle his debt, believing any income through trading with Greg was now denied him and trusting in Felix’s promise to clear his debt, Jess agreed to model for a studio photographic shoot on the coming Sunday.

This was contrary to his better judgment, but Jess had no other source of income to gain the amount he needed. He decided to go home once he cleared the debt and leave Greg, Felix, the College and Bamptonville behind him for good.

Felix told Kyler and his crew to ‘wet-nurse’ Jess to keep him amenable. Charlie Vaughn of In-Between Films and the director of Sunday’s shoot had told Felix of a profitable opportunity opening in the Far East next October. The stakes were high. A successful shoot on Sunday could result in Jess being offered the part in the Far East production that promised to make them rich. Felix wants to make sure Jess will not renege on the promise he made to Kyler to model on Sunday, and is waiting for the boy in his car outside the school gates. Felix needs to hear directly from Jess that he will go through with the photo session.

Jess, meanwhile, has had second thoughts about participating in the shoot. He planned to abscond from school and run away home before the meeting with Felix and reneging on the unpaid school debt. However, Kyler positioned himself close to Jess, as his guardian, preventing him from getting away from Bamptonville or avoiding meeting with Felix.

Kyler waited for Jess to shower after basketball practice and ‘frog marched’ him across the schoolyard to the designated meeting place with Felix, beyond the school gates.

Wayne, meanwhile, has arrived at Lincoln airport. He intended offering Greg the CEO’s position subsequent to Fisher’s IPO. However, after meeting up, he has developed misgivings about Greg being the man for the job.

They stopped for coffee on the ride back to Bamptonville. Wayne and Greg expressed and argued their respective doubts in the other man. Following a stormy session they set about settling their differences before heading for Bamptonville. Now read on: -

LAST CHAPTER EXTRACT

This fourth novel in ‘The Stopover’ series follows on directly from: ‘The Stopover – Divided Highways’

One million dollars debt on a four million estimated value for the company, and a high estimate to boot makes Fishers twenty-five percent leveraged. You wouldn’t want it any higher before the placement. My $125,000 added to the existing borrowings would significantly increase the loan proportion, especially if and when the market adjusts the overall value of the company downwards. You wouldn’t want my money sitting on the books as a loan.

That’s right, can you leave it with us ... at least until after the IPO’s launched?

Greg smiled.

"Well I don’t need the money immediately, I could leave it with you. Make me an offer?"

Wayne placed his clenched fists thumbs uppermost on the table in front of him, his heart raced as he spoke an oft-rehearsed speech for this moment.

I can sell you discounted ordinary shares in exchange for your added value.

How many, and for how much?

I can let you have five percent more of the company at sixty-twoand a half cents on the dollar. It’ll give you another 200,000 ordinary shares, delivering their full dividend and value to you as if they were fully paid up.

Five percent, five percent, Greg hissed, I don’t get out of bed for five percent. You’re asking me to change a nice little earner into securities with no market history that will leave me exposed to a debt of thirty-seven and a half percent. I don’t call your proposition a good deal at all.

Wayne was quick to explain.

You’ll only be liable for the unpaid element if the company fails...

Or if it fails because the IPO failed. Don’t forget I’m not too impressed with some of the advice you’ve been given. Listen to me now; I already own twenty percent of your company. I bought it for $25,000 when you had no assets, nothing. I now have $125,000 to invest, five times as much, and on the basis of the original investment pricing it ought to bring me in an equivalent of 100 percent of the company. But I’m not greedy, and you’ll be quick to tell me my proposition’s not possible...

"No, because the company is worth four million right now and your investment represented as a percentage of that value comes out at three percent. I’m offering you five, that’s what I call a generous offer."

Greg laughed, covering his mouth with a hand.

"Oh, pardon me. I can hear the sound bites of skyscraper-billeted accountants in what you say. So this has already been discussed in Chicago. Well, you control the pricing. I want fifteen percent at the same discount."

Wayne slumped forward, shaking his head.

I can’t do it. I don’t have that much equity left to offer.

What do you mean you don’t have that much? You own the company. You own all of it except for my share, don’t you? We’re only talking about the company as it stands now, the percentages will change immediately after the IPO.

Wayne’s face burned crimson, and he was unable to look at Greg as he spoke.

I need to hold on to fifty-one percent to keep control. I have to keep control, surely you can see the sense in that?

Of course, but you’ll be liquidating ordinary shares soon after the IPO anyway, if you don’t there’s no point in going through the process. You have to release equity to the buying public to make an IPO work.

Goldman’s say we can raise new non-voting shares for sale to the public and keep our own holdings intact.

You can, but there’s not much point if your purpose for doing it is making money. You’ll make more money selling shares immediately after the IPO than the company will ever make for you, doing whatever it does, in its whole lifetime. But they have to be full voting shares to interest the investors.

Is that what you’re going to do – sell after the IPO?

Just watch me, as many shares as I can. Then a few weeks later you can watch me buy them all back again at a much lower price after the market makes its adjustment.

Wayne sucked air and looked away.

The best I can offer you, Greg, is nine percent, and that’s final. Goldman’s say I don’t have to do this. They can go to court to break your contract if need be.

Greg sighed.

Yes, I suppose it’s possible in these circumstances, but it would be costly, and render adverse publicity to your placement that’s likely to drive investors away. To be fair to me, you ought to give me more than nine percent for my cash. Without my money and expertise there’d be no company for anybody to place, much less talk about. How do you arrive at nine percent anyway, it’s a bit of an odd number?

Wayne started counting on his fingers.

There’s your twenty percent and my fifty-one percent. You haven’t met Phillip Strong. He joined me from Harvard and came up with some good designs for digesters and other equipment. Fishers took over his patents in exchange for fifteen percent of the firm. Then there’s my dad. He helped me out with cash and couldn’t do enough for me in the early days. I told him I’d pay him back one day and he said he’d take shares in the company for repayment, whenever we got one set up. He’s got five percent.

Greg rubbed his chin while he made a calculation.

I make that ninety-one percent, leaving the nine percent you’re offering me. He spoke harshly, but took the gruffness out of his voice when he continued speaking.

Tell me, Wayne, why is it so important for you to hold a personal controlling interest in the incorporated company?

Wayne’s head snapped up at the question.

For that very reason, stupid.

But everything will change the instant you cash in your shares after the placement.

Just let’s say, for now, I need to keep my holding intact to retain control, and don’t press me for explanations.

Greg shook his head in bewilderment.

Ten minutes ago you told me Fishers had outstanding loans of one million dollars and you intended to redeem them by selling shares after the IPO. If you can’t sell enough new debentures, whose ordinary shares do you intend selling to buy back those loans if they’re not part of your personal holding?

Wayne looked away in silent embarrassment.

Greg slapped the table with the palm of his hand.

Come on, spit it out, whose shares are you planning to sell if you can’t reduce your debt by selling any of your own?

In acute self-consciousness, Wayne muttered.

I planned to use the four percent remaining after giving you five percent for your loan.

Greg slapped the table again.

That’s not possible now, because I need more. So, tell me; how do you now plan to sell stock to clear the debt and still keep a fifty-one per cent holding if you can’t find enough buyers for your low coupon debentures?

Wayne stammered.

"Dad ... Dad said I could use his stock if I needed it and pay him back later. We can still try to sell Preference shares to big up the income stream in the meantime."

Greg blew out air, shaking his head in disbelief.

You’ve got to man-up, Wayne. This is the real commercial world you’re getting into. The no-mercy world of cutthroat business; it’s not a game and you had better wise up to its whims, ways and processes, and do it fast. ... Okay, I’ll settle for ten percent, part paid with my money on your discounted pricing model. It leaves you with fifty percent, but to get over your immediate control problem, what I suggest we do is this. From my ten percent I put one percent into a charitable trust we set up with Halburton. You do the same, leaving you with forty-nine per cent of the company. We can use the earnings on the two per cent for charitable purposes benefiting the company, things like research sponsorships. But its main function will be to give you boardroom control in the event of your need.

Wayne’s brow creased in confusion.

I don’t get it, spell it out for me.

Okay. You will have forty-nine percent, not a controlling interest, per se. All other stakeholders combined will hold forty-nine percent, which is not a controlling interest either. In the event of an even split on a boardroom decision, the two percent votes held by Halburton can be applied to give a controlling margin to either side. Simple.

Wayne grinned.

Hey that’s cute. But how do we get Halburton to vote in my favor?

We tell him to. We just have to work out some solid rules when we set up the trust for Halburton to follow whenever an occasion arises requiring the man to cast his votes. This way you give me a better deal for my money by taking your holding below an actual controlling interest, and yet it still gives you the physical control you say you need. How does it sound to you?

Wayne smiled and shook his head.

I’m not sure I can get my head entirely around it, but it sounds good.

Okay, let’s shake on it and get the hell out of here while we still have some daylight left and before Jess eats my computer; I bet you can still remember how hungry, healthy, seventeen-year-old, students can get?

Greg had mauled Wayne in the negotiations, causing him to give away far more than he wished, and more than Goldman’s had advised him to offer. Night fell as they walked off the hill towards the truck. For Wayne the concessions he had made ought to have added to his earlier sense of gloom and despondency, but the converse occurred.

Wayne’s doubts about Greg were allayed; their encounter gave him an unexpected uplift of spirit. He gripped Greg’s arm tightly as they walked to the truck with a smile on his lips and a spring in his step matching the lightness of his heart. Greg was back, and was on his side, complete and in full measure. There would be nothing to stop them now. Their engine was assembled and firing on all cylinders once more.

‘Watch out world!’

1

Timeline: 17:50, Friday 20th April, Outside the College Gates

WE’D BETTER MOVE! FELIX called to say he’d be here in ten minutes an’ that was ten minutes ago. He’s got something big planned fer tonight and he’s in a hurry to get it started.

Jess picked up on the anxiety in Kyler’s voice as the older boy’s grip strengthened on his arm, driving him towards the college gates at a faster pace.

Jess became momentarily detached from reality once again, walking as if looking in on himself from the outside. Everything had happened so quickly, from being alone under the comfort of the showers and nursing his scheme to run away, up to this moment, when Kyler’s close presence threatened to wreck his escape plan.

Kyler had dragged him out of the shower, harassed him into a hurried toweling session and was now propelling him half dry, part dressed and disheveled to a scary meeting with Felix. But it was not a dream, and the discomforting dampness of his armpits confirmed the precarious reality of his situation. The misery Jess had schemed to avoid deepened. Jess’s brain locked onto the fact that Kyler’s presence threatened to thwart his getaway. A vigorous shake of the head dispelled the sense of unreality, enabling his concentration to focus on finding a way out of his closely supervised circumstances.

His mind raced.

‘What do I have to do to get out of this mess?’

Kyler rushed him through the gates, roughly turning him to the right to walk the thirty yards to where Felix waited for him in the car. The studio shoot had been nothing more than talk until this moment. Jess looked up and took in the solid outline of the Buick standing in the dense shade beneath the lime trees, a dirty, dark, menacing monster; poised to devour its prey. He shuddered as his heart missed a beat and he involuntarily emitted a short, sharp cry of despair.

The sound made Kyler giggle, and he proffered his unhelpful reassurance, shoving Jess roughly forwards.

Don’t worry, porn star. He won’t eat yer.

They were five paces from the car when the passenger door swung slowly open. Jess likened the sight to the car monster coming alive and opening its jaw to swallow him whole.

He arrived at the door with the fear of a waking sleepwalker, not knowing where he was or why he was there. His sense of isolation became acute, causing him to cringe in fright. There was nobody on his side to help him out of this fix. Jess knew he needed to take control of himself and of the meeting in order to get through the approaching ordeal. Panic welled up within him, his mouth became dry with apprehension and the urge to bunk out ran strong; a question flashed through the turmoil of his mind.

‘What would Greg do if this was happening to him?’

Jess closed his eyes, picturing the man in a professorial stance with a finger pointing straight at the boy as he lectured.

‘Never push a bad position. Go with it only long enough to get out of it and back onto your plan.’

Relief flooded through the boy.

‘Thanks, Greg.’

Jess exhaled the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding back and instantly became more at ease.

‘That’s it! I’ll make out I’m going along with the shoot. I’ll go through the meeting with Felix and when he thinks I’ve gone back into the schoolhouse, I’ll vamoose for home.’

Jess opened his eyes to see the smiling face of Felix leaning towards him across the bench seat and heard the man’s voice; cool, friendly and happy, unlike his sour and snappy past utterances whenever they had cause to talk to each other.

Hiya, Jess, yer right on time. Come on in.

Felix waved a hand holding a chocolate bar, beckoning the boy into the car.

You can help me with this Hershey bar while we have us a pow-wow about next Sunday.

Jess saw a rare, genuine smile playing on the man’s lips and watched his eyes widen as they fixed on the boy’s face. Felix’ smile broke into laughter, dumbfounding the junior, who became calm and more resolute. Jess needed to get this meeting over with, enabling him to rush away from here and the likes of Felix forever. His brow creased, and he spoke sharply. What’s so funny?

Felix spluttered through his mirth.

You should see yer face, Jess. You look like a guy who’s found a five-dollar bill and lost a century ... Get in.

Felix’s manner became more serious and confidential as Jess reluctantly climbed into the front passenger seat.

"Jess, before we start, I wanna say I know exactly what yer thinkin’ and feelin’ inside right now. Let me tell yer, you ain’t got nothin’ to worry about, nothin’ at all, an’ that’s a solemn promise I’m givin’ yer. Cross my heart an’ so it is."

Felix spoke softly and Jess hesitantly settled himself into the bench seat, pushing himself hard against the car door to be as far away from the man as he could.

He suffered a sharp panic spasm, fearing Felix could read his mind and thus know of his thoughts and plans. The boy looked quizzically at the man and gasped.

You do?

Felix chuckled and slapped Jess lightly on the shoulder.

I most certainly do, ’cos it’s the same for everybody first time out ... when they’re jist breakin’ into show business...

"Show business?" Jess exclaimed in surprise.

Felix’s mention of an honorable and glamorous profession startled Jess. Felix giggled; a light staccato trickle of sounds and waved his hands artistically in front of his face.

That’s right, show business. What did you think this was?

Jess clenched his lips together to hide his emotion; not wanting to admit what he had truly thought this studio shoot was all about. Felix continued, speaking slowly, and quietly.

And you’re sat there wondering how you got mixed up in this. Worried about what your friends and family are goin’ to say or think of you when they see your studio pictures. Right now you’re regretting the whole thing, and wishing to hell you could get out of it. Am I right or am I wrong?

Felix ended his speech with a benevolent chuckle.

Jess glanced away from Felix, unable to meet the man’s eye, nodding his head in an embarrassed agreement.

The man laughed heartily, placing a hand on Jess’s shoulder to soothe the boy’s anxiety before resuming their conversation.

Let me tell yer, Jess, that’s a perfectly normal reaction. It was the same for Di Caprio on his first time out. The same too fer Cate Blanchett and Tom Cruise, as well as all the other big name stars on their first time out. A studio portfolio’s the first step to getting yerself noticed by producers. Everybody has to do it to get a start in the movie industry. But not everybody’s lucky enough to get a break like you’ll have opening’ up fer you if you do it right on Sunday.

A momentary thrill of curiosity lightened Jess’s distrust.

They did? He asked in shocked excitement, his eyes searching Felix’s face and seeing what he believed to be sincerity.

Felix laughed again, this time a friendly, comforting sound.

Let me tell yer all about it. It’s clear to me we ain’t briefed you right about this. This is how showbiz works, and if you play your cards right, it could be what yer getting’ yerself into on Sunday. That’s if yer good enough on the day ... an’ it’s up to me as yer manager and agent to see y’are. Pull the door closed, Jess. We need us some privacy in here.

Kyler held the door open and stuck his head inside.

You all done with me? I got things to do.

It’s okay, Felix growled, I’ll take it from here. You know what you have to do. Don’t screw up an’ we’ll meet up later.

Jess felt more relaxed in the knowledge Kyler would not be waiting for him when he got out of the car. He recognized the older boy’s leaving the Buick as the turning point where he could get back onto his own plan and follow the advice he had perceived from Greg. Jess twisted his neck around to see Kyler loping away towards the college gates.

Felix ripped the Hershey bar into two, offering the largest portion to Jess along with a benevolent smile, forcing a return smile of thanks from the gullible boy.

It’s how you start in the business, Jess, doin’ studio pics, buildin’ up what they call a personal portfolio. It’s how yer get yerself noticed by producers an’ castin’ agents to get offers of parts in movies, TV soaps an’ commercials, or whatever. It’s happenin’ fer you right now, Jess. Showbiz. An’ success happens fast once a producer picks you up. Think about it, a year from now you could have yer name up in lights across the nation as the newest, brightest film heart-throb. This time next year you could be all dressed up in a fancy tuxedo walking up the red carpet outside The Kodak Theatre to lift an Oscar with Lindsay Lohan on yer arm. An’ it would’ve all begun in a beat up Buick with half a Hershey bar.

That’s funny, Jess hooted.

Tension eased. They both went into a fit of chuckles and Jess pulled the car door closed with a loud double click.

Felix spoke softly, patting Jess’s knee as the boy bit off a lump of chocolate.

I don’t suppose fer a single sixty second minute you thought you’d be getting’ yersel’ into the movie business, did you now?

Jess sucked on the sweet, sticky confection and smiled, sensing a refreshment of his sense of adventure in the quickening of his heartbeat. He answered with a vigorous shake of his head and a forceful affirmation.

No way! You did say Di Caprio started out this way, doing stuff like studio shoots?

Felix sucked air loudly through his teeth to give his next words added gravitas.

He sure did, an’ every other big name besides him, male and female too. Producers and castin’ agents have hundreds, sometimes thousands of applicants to interview for parts. They cain’t meet ’em all and they sort out the one’s to interview from the portfolios of studio pics the hopefuls agents send in. I’m your agent, so it’s my job to get your portfolio into top shape. The poses are pretty standard, but they all have to be complete. You do know what I mean by complete, Jess, don’t you now? I mean ... you ain’t a child no more an’ you’ll know about adult things?

Jess nodded his assent, but had no real idea what Felix meant, and could only guess that by complete, he meant nude.

You have to unnerstan’, Jess, these guys have a big job getting’ exactly the right people fer parts. Mistakes can cost millions, so they need to see and know everythin’ about yer before they’ll let yer audition for a part in a production.

Felix laughed heartily and slapped his thigh before saying. And all the time I bet you was thinkin’ these pictures were jist fer dirty old men using you to get ’emselves off?

Jess flushed with embarrassment and lowered his head sheepishly to hide his face. Felix sat back in his seat, and laughed good-naturedly at the boy’s self consciousness, saying nothing, allowing Jess’s sense of wonder and relaxation to grow. After a few seconds of silence, Gleitner continued.

Yer pics’ll be goin’ up on a special website, it’s an industry site, one all the top producers and castin’ agents use. They do let the public join, but they’re pretty selective about who they let in and it’s expensive to join. Fer sure, there’ll be a couple or more guys out there dreamin’ about takin’ yer into the woods with ’em when they see yer pics, but that’s life. It’s a big wide world out there and all sorts live inside it. Mostly they’ll be women droolin’ over yer pictures. There’ll be mothers, grandmothers, working housewives, bored housewives, all sorts of women wantin’ to enjoy seein’ your firm, healthy body and good looks. They’ll mostly be wantin’ to mother yer, instead of takin’ yer to bed. Mind you, some of ’em’ll be fantazisin’ about doin’ that too.

Felix saw his words were easing the boy’s concern and paused to laugh and let them sink into Jess’s consciousness before adding.

You’re in with a head start. That’s the movie business I’m talkin’ about. ...Charlie Vaughn is a big producer and director with In-Between Films. I showed him a couple o’ pics I took on my cell phone of you on the sports field some time back. It’s him who’s asked fer you on this studio shoot. He’s got a casting vacancy for a big production next October. He needs a fresh face and somebody fittin’ yer description...

Jess caught his breath and cried out.

But I can’t act...

Felix chuckled good-naturedly and patted the boy’s knee. Don’t you worry about that? He’ll be there this Sunday doin’ the directin’. He wants to see how you take direction as much as he needs to see yer body goin’ through its expressions an’ movements. The actin’ he can fix. Don’t worry too much about it. You’ll not be getting’ the lead part.

Felix ruffled Jess’s hair as he said. He’s so keen on you he’s offered me a bonus, but that’s only if you’re good enough on Sunday and if he offers you the part. I want to build up some good will between us, Jess, so I’ll use my bonus to clear that bit of a debt I heard you’ve run up at the school.

Jess gasped and his head spun around to face Felix.

You will?

Gleitner laughed quietly.

Sure, I will. Three hundred bucks, ain’t it?

In shock, Jess could only respond with an open jawed nod.

Felix chortled.

That’ll be another promise I’m making yer, Jess.

He patted the boy’s knee and kept his hand there as he said his next piece.

"All you have to do on Sunday is follow Charlie’s directions and give it yer best shot. It could lead to somethin’ real big fer yer ... and fer me too, ’cos I’m yer agent and manager, and that means I get fifty percent o’ yer earnings when yer small time, and when you get to be big time too. We’re gonna be like partners in a gold mine. This could be the start o’ somethin’ really big fer the both of us."

Felix stopped speaking when he