Perfect Partners

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    “Where the hell is he?” Joel’s voice was a muffled growl.
    “Mr. Blackstone, wait, you can’t go in there until I announce you.” A heavy object, possibly Arthur’s heavily laden in-basket, crashed to the floor. “Just a minute, sir.”
    “Out of my way, Bigley.”
    “You are not going to barge in there, Mr. Blackstone.”
    “The hell I’m not,” Joel roared.
    There was another thump, and then Arthur’s voice rose to a defiant snarl. “Over my dead body, sir.”
    “Your choice, Bigley.”
    Letty jumped to her feet and rushed to the door. She flung it open and was confronted by Arthur’s back. Her secretary had apparently thrown himself into the breach. He was braced, hands and feet spread out, blocking the doorway. When the door opened behind him, he nearly fell into the inner office.
    “Ms. Thornquist,” Arthur managed grimly, “everything’s under control.” He was not blinking because he had switched back to his glasses.
    Joel bared his teeth at Letty. “Get him out of my way before I do something serious.”
    Letty sighed. “Thank you, Arthur. I will see Mr. Blackstone now.”
    Arthur scowled at Joel. “Are you sure, Ms. Thornquist? He definitely does not have an appointment.”
    “As it happens, I want to talk to him,” Letty said smoothly. “Thank you for handling matters so forcefully, Arthur. You did an excellent job.”
    Arthur glowed. “Thank you, Ms. Thornquist.”
    Letty smiled politely at Joel. “Won’t you come in, Mr. Blackstone?”
    “Thank you, Ms. Thornquist.” The sarcasm was as sharp as any blade. Joel threw Arthur a victorious smile. “And thank you for your gracious assistance, Bigley.”
    Arthur inclined his head coolly, sat down, and turned his back to him.
    Joel walked past Letty and pinned Philip with a grim look. “What the hell did you think you were doing screwing around with Thornquist Gear business in Echo Cove?”
    Philip was unruffled by the challenge. “Hello, Blackstone. Letty and I were just discussing your future employment status with this company.”
    “You were
what
?” Joel shot a scathing glance at Letty.
    “It’s okay,” Letty assured him as she closed the door and resumed her seat. “I told him I didn’t think we could fire you. Why don’t you sit down, Joel?”
    He ignored that. “Letty, I’ve had about enough of visiting professors. And I will not allow this idiot to interfere in what’s going on between Thornquist Gear and Copeland Marine.” He turned back to Philip. “Got that, Dixon?”
    Philip twitched the crease of his silver-gray trousers with an unperturbed air. “As I was just starting to explain to Letty, I’ve had a few thoughts on the Copeland Marine maneuver.”
    “Spare me,” Joel said. “I don’t give a damn about your thoughts on it.”
    “Initially, I was displeased to see that you had engineered a venture as sophisticated as the buyout and takeover of Copeland Marine on your own, Joel.”
    “Letty, you’d better get him out of here before I throttle him.”
    Philip continued as if no one had spoken. “After all, you have no appropriate formal education and no practical experience in corporate management. As far as I have been able to determine, you lack an M.B.A. or any other suitable degree. Nor have you spent time working in management in any corporation other than Thornquist.”
    “Letty, I’m warning you…”
    Philip nodded, as if to himself. “I am happy to say, however, that on the whole the takeover approach was fundamentally sound. Whether by luck or by instinct, you made all the right moves, Joel.”
    Joel sprawled in a chair looking thoroughly disgusted. Letty smiled sympathetically and shrugged to indicate there was no stopping Philip until he wound down.
    “I must point out, though, that had I been running Thornquist at the time, I would not have picked Copeland Marine as a target. Doubtless the sell-off and liquidation of the machinery and facilities will yield a reasonable profit. But there really are not enough assets to make the project worthwhile.”
    Joel ceased listening. He turned to Letty and began to talk to her as if they were alone in the room. “I called Escott. Told him I want to talk to him.”
    Letty smiled happily. “You did?”
    Philip frowned vaguely but continued holding forth. “Your choice of a target company appears to have been influenced by some emotional motivation on your part, Blackstone. One does not survive in the business world if one