Prisoner's Base

"I think so." She was pleasantly firm about it. "Being an intelligent woman, Bernie, I'm more realistic than any man, even you. No one is going to be able to hide anything, so why not shorten the agony? They'll dig up everything. That for ten years before Nate Eads died you tried to get him to give you a third interest in the business, and he refused. That Ollie here"-she glanced, not with animosity, at Oliver Pitkin-"beneath his mask of modest and stubborn efficiency, is fiercely anti-feminist and hates to see a woman own or run anything."

"My dear Viola," Pitkin began in a shocked tone, but she overspoke him.

"That my ambition and appetite for power are so strong that you four men, much as you fear and distrust one another, fear and distrust me more, and you knew that when Priscilla was in control I would have top authority. They'll learn that this Daphne O'Neil-my God, what a name for her, Daphne-"

"It means 'laurel tree,'" Daphne said to be helpful.

"I know it does. That she was playing Perry Helmar and Jay against each other, and with June thirtieth approaching she was getting desperate and so were they. That Jay-"

What stopped her was Daphne suddenly reaching across in front of Pitkin and slapping her on the mouth. It was a remarkably swift and accurate performance, giving Viola Duday no time to duck or block. Miss Duday raised a hand as if to counter, but merely covered her mouth with it, recoiling.

"You asked for it, Vi," Quest told her. "And if you're counting on Ollie and me being with you, and I think you are, this is a big mistake."

"I've been wanting to do it for a long time," said Daphne, more like baby talk than before. "I'll do it again."

I was perfectly willing to sit and wait for Miss Duday to start up where she had left off, or for someone else to start something, but apparently that script was finished, so I spoke.

"Miss Duday is absolutely right," I told them. "I don't mean that what she said is right-that I don't know about-but she was right in saying that if you try to hold out and cover up you'll just prolong the agony. It'll all come out, don't think it won't, the bad with the good, and the quicker the better." I looked at the president. "It wouldn't hurt a bit, Mr. Brucker, if you followed Miss Duday's example. Where does everybody stand, the way you see it? For instance, this conference you were having. Whose idea was it? What were you talking about? What were you saying?"