The Case of the Angry Actress: A Masao Masuto Mystery by Howard Fast Read Free Book Online Page B

of stock and a vice-presidency in the company. We needed the features and we took him in.”
    â€œIs Sidney Burke also in the firm?”
    â€œNot exactly in it. He began with our publicity right from the beginning. He’s good. At first he worked almost for nothing. Then he got some stock. He still does our publicity, but he has his own company.”
    â€œWould you mind telling me who the stockholders are?”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause it would be easier if you told me,” Masuto said, “than if I had to track down the information. I could, you know.”
    â€œYou still want to make something out of this, don’t you?”
    â€œNo. What is there, is there, Mr. Anderson. If nothing is there—”
    â€œOK. There are five stockholders—or were. Al held sixteen thousand shares. His wife, Phoebe, five thousand, a gift from him when they were married. Sidney has two thousand and Jack has four thousand. I own six thousand shares, which makes me the second largest stockholder.”
    â€œAnd Mr. Tulley—Mike Tulley?”
    â€œHe has no shares. Why should he? We hired him three years ago and we made him a TV star. But at this point our shares have a book value of almost three hundred dollars each. There’s no market on them, but if there were, it would be enormous.”
    â€œAnd now what happens to Mr. and Mrs. Greenberg’s shares?”
    â€œNothing happens to Phoebe’s—unless she decides to sell. And I have advised her not to and I will continue to so advise her. But Al’s personal stock, according to our initial agreement, goes back into the company treasury, and his estate is paid fifty percent of book value. Providing Jack and I refuse to purchase.”
    â€œHow’s that?”
    â€œIf any one of the three officers dies, the remaining two have the right to divide his stock and purchase it at twenty-five percent of book value. The remaining twenty-five percent is then paid by the company treasury. It’s a peculiar arrangement, but perfectly legal and it protects the officers and major stockholders.
    â€œAnd what do you and Mr. Cotter intend to do?”
    â€œWe’ll buy the stock, of course. Are you thinking of that as a motive? But whose motive for Al’s death, Sergeant? I am the only one who profits. I gain control, God help me. There’s no reason for you to believe me, but I’d blow this business and ten like it to give Al a week of extra living.”
    â€œWe were not to talk of murder, but simply to eliminate any possibility of it. Forgive me if I raise a rather shameful matter, Mr. Anderson, but do you remember an incident with a girl called Samantha? Eleven years ago.”
    Murphy Anderson stared at Masuto for a long moment. Then he swung on his heel and walked to the window. When he turned back, his face was cold and set.
    â€œWhat the hell business is that of yours, Sergeant?”
    â€œLast night, Mike Tulley asked me to come over. He told me about the incident. He was very frightened. I gathered that he is under the impression that one of you—one of your four men, or five if we include Greenberg—is married to Samantha.”
    â€œLet me tell you something about Al Greenberg, Sergeant. I never spoke of this until now. But Al never touched that kid. I’m not defending myself or Jack or Mike or Sidney. What we are, we are. But Al went into that dressing room, looked at the kid, had a few words with her and came out. He was the last. Don’t worry—I remember, I goddamn well remember. Jack had disappeared, and when Sidney saw Al’s face, he took off. Al said to me, ‘If anything like this ever happens again on one of my sets, Murph, I will kill you and everyone else concerned with my own hands. And I’m not kidding. You were high in my esteem, and now you are low as a turd—you and that stinking shithead Sidney.’ Maybe not those exact words, but that was the