Wim's range of knowledge amazed Catherine. One morning, she developed an earache Wim said gruffly, 'This weather's not going to help it much You'd better go and see an ear doctor.' 'Thanks, Wim. I . . .' "The parts of the ear are the auricle, auditory meatus, tympanic membrane, the chain of ossicles hammer, anvil and stirrup ympanic cavity, the semicircular duct, oval window, the eustachan tube, auditory nerve, and the cochlear duct.' And he walked away On another day, Catherine and Evelyn took Wim to lunch at the Ram's Head, a local pub. In the back room, customers were throwing darts 'Are you interested in sports, Wim?' Catherine asked 'Have you ever seen a baseball game?'
'Baseball,' Wim said. 'A baseball is nine and a quarter inches in circumference. It's made of yarn, wound on a hard rubber cone and covered with white leather. The bat is usually made of ash, not more than two and three quarter inches in the greatest diameter, and not more than forty-two inches in length.' He knows all the statistics, Catherine thought, but has he ever felt the excitement of actually doing it 'Have you ever played any sports? Basketball, for instance?' 'Basketball is played on a wooden or concrete floor. The ball has a spherical leather cover thirty-one inches in circumference, inflated by a rubber bladder to thirteen pounds of pressure. It weighs twenty to twenty-two ounces. Basketball was invented by James Naismith in eighteen ninety-one.' Catherine had her answer.
Sometimes Wim could be an embarrassment in public. One Sunday, Cathenne and Evelyn took Wim to Maidenhead, on the Thames. They stopped at the Compleat Angler for lunch. The waiter came up to their table. 'We have fresh clams today.' Catherine turned to Wim. 'Do you like clams?' Wim said, 'There are long clams, quahog, or round clams, razor clams, surf clams, single shells, and blood clams.' The waiter was staring at him. 'Would you care to order some, sir?' 'I don't like clams,' Wim snapped.
Catherine liked the people she was working with, but Wim became special to her. He was brilliant beyond her comprehension, and at the same time, he seemed withdrawn and lonely. Catherine said to Evelyn one day: 'Isn't there some chance that Wim might lead a normal life? Fall in love and get married?' Evelyn sighed. 'I told you. He has no emotions. He'll never get attached to anyone.' But Catherine did not believe it. Once or twice she had caught a flash of interest of affection of laughter in Wim's eyes, and she wanted to draw him out, to help him. Or had it been her imagination?
One day, the office staff received an invitation to a charity ball being held at the Savoy Catherine walked into Wim's office. 'Wim, do you dance?' He stared at her. 'A bar and a half of four-four time music completes one rhythmic unit in a foxtrot. The man starts the basic step with his left foot and takes two steps forward. The woman starts with her right foot and takes two steps backward The two slow steps are followed by a quick step at right angles to the slow steps. To dip, the man steps forward on his left foot and dips slow then he moves forward on his right foot slow. Then he moves to the left with his left foot quick Then closes his right foot to his left foot quick.' Catherine stood there, not knowing what to say. He knows all the words, but he doesn't understand their meaning.
Constantin Demiris telephoned. It was late at night and Catherine was preparing to go to bed 'I hope I didn't disturb you. It's Costa.' 'No, of course not.' She was glad to hear his voice. She had missed talking to him, asking his advice. After all, he was the only one in the world who really knew about her past. She felt as though he were an old friend 'I've been thinking about you, Catherine. I was concerned that you might find London a lonely place. After all, you don't know anyone there.' 'I do get a little lonely sometimes,' Catherine admitted 'But I'm coping. I keep remembering what you said. Forget about the past, live for the future.' 'That's right. Speaking of the future, I'm going to be in London tomorrow. I would like to take you to dinner.' 'I would enjoy that very much,' Catherine said warmly. She was looking forward to it. She would have a chance to tell him how grateful she was to him When Constantin Demiris replaced the receiver, he smiled to himself. The chase is on.
They had dinner at the Ritz. The dining room was elegant and the food was delicious. But Catherine was too excited to pay attention to anything except the man who was sitting opposite her. There was so much she had to tell him 'You have a wonderful office staff,' Catherine said. 'Wim is amazing. I've never seen anyone who can . . .' But Demiris was not listening to the words. He was studying her, thinking how beautiful she was, and how vulnerable. But I mustn't rush her, Demiris decided. No, I'll play the game slowly and savor the victory. This one will be for you, Noelle, and for your lover 'Are you going to be in London long?' Catherine was asking.
'Just a day or two. I had some business to take care of.' That was true. But he knew he could have handled it by telephone No, he had come to London to begin his campaign to draw Catherine closer to him, to make her emotionally dependent on him. He leaned forward 'Catherine, did I ever tell you about the time I worked in the oil fields in Saudi Arabia . . . ?'
Demiris took Catherine to dinner the following night 'Evelyn told me what a wonderful job you're doing at the office. I'm going to give you a raise.' 'You've been so generous already,' Catherine protested 'I . . .' Demiris looked into her eyes. 'You don't know how generous lean be.' Catherine was embarrassed. He's only being kind, she thought / mustn't imagine things.
The following day, Demiris was ready to leave. 'Would you like to ride out to the airport with me, Catherine?' 'Yes.' She found him fascinating, almost spellbinding. He was amusing and brilliant and she was flattered by his attention At the airport, Demiris kissed Catherine lightly on the cheek 'I'm glad we could spend some time together, Catherine.' 'So am I. Thank you, Costa.' She stood there watching his plane take off. He's very special, Catherine thought. I'm going to miss him.
Chapter
6
Everyone had always been amazed by the apparent close friendship of Constantin Demiris and his brother-in-law, Spyros Lambrou Spyros Lambrou was almost as rich and powerful as Demiris. Demiris owned the largest fleet of cargo ships in the world; Spyros Lambrou owned the second largest. Constantin Demiris controlled a chain of newspapers and airlines, oil fields, steel mills, and gold mines; Spyros Lambrou had insurance companies, banks, enormous amounts of real estate, and a chemical plant. They seemed friendly competitors; better than that, buddies 'Isn't it wonderful,' people said, 'that two of the most powerful men in the world are such great friends?' In reality, they were implacable rivals who despised each other. When Spyros Lambrou bought a 100-foot yacht, Constantin Demiris immediately commissioned a 150-foot yacht that had four GM diesels, a crew of 13, two speedboats and a freshwater swimming pool When Spyros Lambrou's fleet reached a total of twelve tankers, with a tonnage of 200,000, Constantin Demiris increased his own fleet to twenty-three tankers, with a tonnage of 650,000
Spyros Lambrou acquired a string of race horses, and Demiris bought a larger stable to run against him, and consistently won The two men saw each other frequently, for they served together on charity committees, sat on the boards of various corporations, and occasionally attended family gatherings. They were exactly opposite in temperament. Where Constantin Demiris had come from the gutter and fought his way to the top, Spyros Lambrou was born an aristocrat. He was a lean and elegant man, always impeccably dressed, with courtly, old-world manners. He could trace his family tree back to Otto of Bavaria, who had once ruled as King of Greece. During the early political uprisings in Greece, a small minority, the oligarchy, amassed fortunes in trade, shipping and land. Spyros Lambrou's father was one of them, and Spyros had inherited his empire Over the years, Spyros Lambrou and Constantin Demiris had carried on their charade of friendship. But each was determined that, in the end, he would destroy the other, Demiris because of his instinct for survival, Lambrou because of his brother-in-law's treatment of Melina Spyros Lambrou was a superstitious man. He appreciated his good fortune in life, and he was anxious not to antagonize the gods. From time to time he consulted psychics for guidance. He was intelligent enough to recognize the frauds, but there was one psychic whom he had found to be uncanny. She had predicted his sister Melina's miscarriage and what would happen to the marriage, and a dozen other things that had come to pass. She lived in Athens Her name was Madame Piris.
Constantin Demiris made it a habit to arrive at his offices in Aghiou Geronda Street every morning punctually at six o'clock By the time his rivals went to work, Demiris had already conducted several hours of business with his agents in a dozen countries Demiris' private office was spectacular. The view was magnificent, with picture windows putting the city of Athens at his feet The floor was black granite. The furniture was steel and leather On the walls was a Cubist art collection, with L+!gers, Braques, and half a dozen Picassos. There was an enormous glass and steel desk and a leather throne-chair. On the desk was a death mask of Alexander the Great, set in crystal. The inscription under it read: Alexandras. The defender of man On this particular morning, Constantin Demiris' private phone was ringing when he entered his office. There were only half a dozen people who had access to the telephone number. Demiris picked up the telephone. 'Kalimehra.' 'Kalimehra.' The voice at the other end belonged to Spyros Lambrou's private secretary, Nikos Veritos. He sounded nervous 'Forgive me for disturbing you, Mr Demiris. You told me to call when I had some information that you might . . .' 'Yes. What is ft?' 'Mr Lambrou is planning to acquire a company called Aurora International. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr Lambrou has a friend on the board of directors who told him that a big government contract is going to be given to the company to build bombers. This is, of course, very confidential The stock will have a big rise when the announcement .
.' 'I'm not interested in the stock market,' Demiris snapped 'Don't bother me again unless you have something important to tell me.' 'I'm sorry, Mr Demiris. I thought . . .' But Demiris had hung up.
At eight o'clock, when Demiris' assistant, Giannis Tcharos, I.1 walked in, Constantin Demiris looked up from his desk 'There's a company on the New York Stock Exchange, Aurora International Notify all our newspapers that the company is being investigated for fraud. Use an anonymous source, but spread the word. I want them to keep hammering at the story until the stock drops. Then start buying until I have control.' 'Yes, sir. Is that all?' 'No. After I've acquired control, announce that the rumors were unfounded. Oh, yes. See that the New York Stock Exchange is notified that Spyros Lambrou bought his stock on insider information.' Giannis Tcharos said delicately, 'Mr Demiris, in the United States, that is a criminal offense.' Constantin Demiris smiled. 'I know.'
A mile away, at Syntagma Square, Spyros Lambrou was working in his office. His work place reflected his eclectic taste. The furniture consisted of rare antiques, a mixture of French and Italian. Three of the walls were covered with the works of French Impressionists. The fourth wall was devoted to an array of Belgian artists, from Van Rysselberghe to De Smet. The sign on the outer office door read: 'Lambrou and Associates', but there had never been any associates. Spyros Lambrou had inherited a successful business from his father, and over the years he had built it into a worldwide conglomerate Spyros Lambrou should have been a happy man. He was rich and successful, and he enjoyed excellent health. But it was impossible for him to be truly happy as long as Constantin Demiris was alive. His brother-in-law was anathema to him Lambrou despised him. To him, Demiris was polymichanos, a man fertile in devices, a scoundrel without morals Lambrou had always hated Demiris for his treatment of Melina, but the savage rivalry between them had its own terrible nexus It had begun ten years earlier, at a lunch Spyros Lambrou had with his sister. She had never seen him so excited 'Melina, did you know that every single day the world consumes all the fossil fuel it took a thousand years to create?' 'No, Spyros.' There's going to be a tremendous demand for oil in the future, and there aren't going to be enough oil tankers to handle it.' 'You're going to build some?' He nodded. 'But not just ordinary tankers. I'm going to build the first fleet of large tankers. They'll be twice as large as the present ones.' His voice was filled with enthusiasm. 'I've spent months going over the figures. Listen to this. A gallon of crude petroleum hauled from the Persian Gulf to an east-coast port of the United States costs seven cents. But on a big tanker, the cost would come down to three cents a gallon. Do you have any idea what that could mean?' 'Spyros where are you going to get the money to build a fleet like that?' He smiled. That's the beautiful part of my plan. It won't cost me a cent.' 'What?' He leaned forward. 'I'm going to America next month to talk to the heads of the big oil companies. With these tankers, I can carry their oil for them for half the price they can carry it.' 'But. . . you don't have any big tankers.' His smile turned into a grin. 'No, but if I can get long-term charter contracts f/om the oil companies, the banks will loan me the money I need to build them. What do you think?' 'I think you're a genius. It's a brilliant plan.'
Melina was so excited about her brother's idea that she mentioned it to Demiris that evening at dinner When she had finished explaining it, Melina said, 'Isn't that a wonderful idea?' Constantin Demiris was silent for a moment. 'Your brother's a dreamer. It could never work.' Melina looked at him in surprise. 'Why not, Costa?' 'Because it's a hare-brained scheme. In the first place, there's not going to be that big a demand for oil, so those mythical tankers of his will run empty. Secondly, the oil companies aren't about to turn their precious oil over to a phantom fleet that doesn't even exist. And third, those bankers he's going to will laugh him out of their offices.' Melina's face clouded with disappointment. 'Spyros was so enthusiastic. Would you mind discussing it with him?' Demiris shook his head. 'Let him have his dream, Melina It would be better if he didn't even know about our conversation.' 'All right, Costa. Whatever you say.'