— Mister Duncan! I hold no brief whatever for the special interests you mention, I am here simply to discuss a rather grave and complex family matter with Mister Bast and I must ask you to find some other source of entertain…
— Want to discuss a family matter Cohen I’ll tell you what my wife did, I put part of the business in her name just for the tax angle when I wanted to get out she wouldn’t let me how do you like that. Nothing she wants nothing she hasn’t got, fourteen years of it I built her a house so big she still carries her handbag from one room to the next one she won’t even give me a divorce, she turned me in to the IRS for ten percent had me followed by detectives got herself a Jew lawyer how would you like to handle it for me.
— No no thank you no, no I’m certain there’s nothing I…
— Always heard the only way to fight a Jew lawyer’s to get another Jew lawyer I’ve been trying to get out of the wallpaper business for fourteen years, you know what I finally did? Ran up the biggest bill we could with our paper supplier and just left it lie there till a company took them over and offered to write it off as a downpayment, said they’d take the rest out of profits son of a bitches finally got me out of the wallpaper business, how do you like that.
— It’s very interesting yes clearly you have no need for a Jewish attorney, now…
— Tell you what I just read about here this wetback who bought a new Cadillac for five dollars, one of these Texas millionaires died he left the proceeds of the sale of his Cadillac and the yacht to some chip, what do you want now Waddles.
— We’re going for a ride Mister Duncan, they want to take your picture up at x-ray, let me get the chair closer here let’s get our feet out and…
— I’ll try to make it quick Cohen, don’t…
— No no please don’t hurry back on my account Mis…
— Mister Duncan!
— Told you I had a surprise for you didn’t I Waddles? Don’t go away Cohen, something else I wanted to ask you…
— Yes thank, heavens. Now Mister Bast perhaps we can concen, what is it you need more paper it’s right down here let me, there, yes I’m sure you can follow what I’m saying while you continue with that you see Mister Bast under the circumstances, you appear to be the only family member available and, and competent to discuss this matter and in light of your own real or possible interest in its outcome I’m sure you can help me to clarify some of its aspects, I’ll try to be brief. As you may or may not have been aware, an element of mistrust appeared to have developed before Mister Angel’s accident between him and his wife your cousin Stella concerning the controlling interest in General Roll. What gave rise to this growing mistrust on both hands of course I have no way of knowing, though I may say that from my frequently close contact with Mister Angel and certainly in light of this recent unhappy event, assuming my interpretation to be the correct one, his was motivated immeasurably less by anything resembling what might perhaps in another instance be construed simply as greed, considering the rather substantial sums of money involved, than by the very understandable fear in a man of his, his ah…
— background and temper…
— Background and yes, yes you are following me then…
— No I’m just listening.
— Yes that’s what I, I see yes at any rate having drawn up Mister Angel’s will in which I am named executor while of course I am not at liberty under the circumstances to divulge its contents whatever its provisions, even were his wife your cousin Stella to be excluded, we are all aware of her incontestable claim as his wife to a portion of his estate which after taxes should amount to approximately eighteen percent of the company, her share of which combined with the half of her father’s estate to which she is clearly entitled giving her altogether about eighteen and one half percent as opposed to the twenty-five percent now controlled by this conglomerate and the twenty-seven controlled by your aunts and their brother James, your father I mean to say if such indeed proves to be the case, in which event of course her claim your cousin Stella’s to her father’s estate in its entirety combined with her minimum portion of that of her husband assuming his failure to survive would secure her…
— Who’s Mister Duncan here.
— What? pardon? Oh, oh he’s not here Miss no I believe he went to be x-rayed he…
— Tell him to call the office about his insurance will he be right back?
— I sincerely trust not but of course I’m in no position to…
— Just tell him to call the office about this health plan he’s got before supper all right? He’ll be back by then?
— I would have no doubt yes now the, Mister Bast? Yes, now this question of the, of Mister Angel yes where, what was I…
— of his amusing failure to survive you said…
