Condominium by John D. MacDonald Read Free Book Online Page A

to see us at all.”
    “He didn’t,” Hadley Forrester said. “He took the money and ran. Golden Sands is ancient history to him. And I do not think Marty Liss goes around wasting his time advising strangers.”
    “So what’s the answer?” Pete asked.
    “He wants to calm us down. He wants us to live with our problem. We’ve got some kind of leverage we don’t know about.”
    “A strike?” Wasniak asked.
    Forrester thought a moment and gave a single harsh bark of laughter. “Jesus, Stan, maybe you hit it. What if we all, every owner, stopped paying the recreation lease and the management contract assessment? Could they dispossess everybody? Who would they sell the apartments to in this market? Think of the stink in the
Athens Times Record
. The wire services would pick it up.”
    “But what difference would that make to him?” Dave asked.
    “Good question. It might somehow screw up his next project. These things need lots of permissions. If there was a stink, it might give him political problems somehow. My friends, we are going to have to find out what he’s planning to do next.”
    “Nobody,” said Pete, “but nobody is ever going to get all the damn owners to get together on anything, ever. So Marty Liss shouldn’t worry.”
    •  •  •
    Five minutes after the directors left, Martin Liss had Frank West on the phone.
    “Frankie, I don’t see you at the club anymore. You tired of giving me your money? Or maybe you got smart and give up the game.”
    “I’ve been having this soreness in my shoulder, like bursitis but it isn’t that. Honest to God, I try to swing a club, it looks as funny as your swing, Marty. The doc told me to lay off awhile, and he’s giving me shots. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back and whip your ass good any day now.”
    “You should wait so long. Look, what I called about, you got a couple of letters from Golden Sands about paying assessments on Five-A and Six-E.”
    “Wait a minute. Let me think. Oh sure, from some joker there signs CPA after his name, like it is going to make me pay up. Don’t worry about it, Marty. In the file I’ve got the letter from Benjie when he was a director there, saying the transfer to us is free of all assessments and so on and so on. Airtight. There’s nothing they can do.”
    “Frank, I got a two-word message for you. Pay them.”
    “Am I hearing what you said? Pay? Look, I know it’s peanuts, a few hundred bucks, but unless we sell those two, assessments go on and on, and what the hell is the point anyway, when we don’t have to?”
    “The only point you have to know is I told you to pay them.”
    “But it just doesn’t—”
    “Some days, honest to Christ, you got nothing between your ears but dog shit. What makes you think I got to stay on the phone and discuss things with you? What’s this with wanting explanations?When I want something done, I tell you to do it, and all you have to do is go do it, you dumb fuck!”
    “Now, Marty—”
    “None of that either, West. All you do right now is you say to me, Yes, Mr. Liss, I’ll pay it.”
    “Yes, Mr. Liss. I’ll pay it.”
    “Frankie?”
    “Yes, Mr. Liss.”
    “Take care of that shoulder, and give my best to Fran and the kids.” Marty hung up and asked Drusilla to get hold of Sully. “And when you get him, hold him about three minutes before you put him through.”
    “I’ve got Mr. Sullivan on the line, sir.”
    “Well, well, well! What a real pleasure it is to me to talk to Mr. Sullivan the big shot in person! This is a real honor for me, such an important man.”
    “What’s with you, Marty? What’s this about?”
    “Two executives came to visit you. One was a vice-president of a manufacturing company. One was a partner in an important firm. I know how your mind works, Sully. These two guys have got more style, more class, more smarts than you have. That’s why you pissed on them.”
    “On who? Why would I do that? Who’s been lying?”
    “Why are