The 16mm Caper

Chapter 33

Peter listened to the man from Kodak on the other end of the line and his shoulders began to slump more with every passing minute. Harv watched from his stool by his worktable, the expression on Peter's face telling him more than he wanted to know. When the call finally ended, Peter turned and shook his head.

"It's like the guy said. They want to have it shipped to them, and they will undertake authenticating it to their satisfaction. The rep said it might be months before anything is finalized."

"At least they're still interested. Let's call the Hollywood contact. See what they want."

"What if it's a bust with them too?"

"It isn't a bust yet, it's just delayed some. Call Hollywood."

Peter sighed and dug the number from his wallet. Twenty minutes later he hung up and kicked the side of the desk angrily.

"I take it that didn't go well."

"They want me to bring it out there, so they can make a copy to study at their friggin' leisure." He tore up the phone number and flung it in the wastebasket. "Christ when we talked before they were all over themselves about getting hold of it."

"Maybe we should reconsider the three hundred thousand before everybody loses interest."

"You might be right, Harv. Shit, what greed can do. What difference how much we get, we had nothing before all this and if we aren't careful we'll have nothing again."

"Trick now is to get them back to the table without looking desperate."

"Trick is right. I don't know how to contact them again."

"Call Hughes, it was his rep we sat down with."

"Hey, that's right." Peter grabbed the phone book from Cheryl's desk and looked up Hughes Enterprises.

The phone rang three times and a timid voice announced the company name. "Mr. Ralston Hughes please. My name is Rabb, we spoke earlier about a film he was interested in." The line went quiet and a moment later a man's gruff voice demanded to know who the hell Peter was and when did they talk.

"We spoke several days ago. You made a series of escalating offers for the vintage film I had in my possession."

"Never spoke to you in my life, pal, so don't try and con a con, okay?"

"But-"

"But be buggered. We never spoke! However," the voice continued after a moment's silence. "I am interested in the film and I do believe I sent a representative to strike a deal and I wound up with a goddamn copy!"

Peter sat befuddled as Hughes ranted on about how he did business and screwing with him was usually a death sentence in the business. He realized that he was talking about Cheryl's experience and that the guy, Harry, was the so-called rep. He tried to sort out the players and how they all fit together, but Hughes rant shocked him back into focus with a new demand.

"He what?" Harv boggled at Peter's statement after he hung up.

"He says he won't pay a penny over half a million and he wants everything connected to the film. Everything!"

"Half a million?" Harv stared at Peter for a moment, a grin spreading across his face and in a few seconds both men were leaning against one another for support, laughing themselves sick.

"He's given me five hours to have everything in his office or the deal starts diminishing in increments of one hundred thousand for each hour we keep him waiting."

Harv wiped his eyes and started giggling again. "Shit we could be two hours late and still get what the others offered."

"I know!" Peter choked out a series of laugh-induced coughs.

The door to the outer office opened and closed and the buzzer by Harv's desk sounded. "A customer."

"Tell 'em we're closed for money counting." Peter rolled off the stool and down to his knees, his face suffused in a wet, red blush from the strain of uncontrolled laughter.

Harv staggered from the workroom and Peter concentrated on gathering himself together. Mary would faint, he was sure. Half a million! How lucky can a guy-?

"Having a nice time, Mr. Rabb?"

Peter turned to see Harv with his arm twisted high up his back and the woman named Vera calmly looking at him. "What are you doing? Let him go."

"Harv doesn't mind, do you, Harv?" His face screwed up with the discomfort and he gritted his teeth.

"What do you want?"

"Please, Peter, don't treat me as stupid. Just get the film and all the other component parts from your wall safe over there and our business will be concluded."

"We have a pending deal with your employer." He lied.

Vera smiled and looked at the floor. "I was hoping you'd be reluctant, Peter." Harv let out a shriek as she snapped his arm and pushed him to the floor. Peter gaped at his friend trying to straighten the ugly looking bend in his arm. "Are you nuts! Get your man on the phone! Ask him!"

Vera moved slowly toward him. "Peter, Peter. He sent me don't you see. Your deal fell through."

He quickly jumped behind the workbench frantically trying to find an escape as the woman trailed a long finger along the edge of the table, her smile turning icy cold. As she rounded the end of the table, he grabbed a spray can of plastic fixative and aimed it at her, depressing the nozzle as hard as he could. Vera yelped in surprise as the mist of plastic hit her full in the face and she staggered back screaming vile oaths and rubbing at her eyes.

Peter held the spray on her as he ran around to Harv, dragging him to his feet and out the door to the reception area. They ran and stumbled down the stairs and out of the building to the parking lot. Harv managed to get out his keys and hand them to Peter as the piled into the car and took off in a squeal of rubber.

Vera found the washroom and rinsed her face, scrubbing the plastic spray with soap and a paper towel until her cheeks, chin and forehead looked raw. She dried her face and stared at the reflection of one very, very angry woman. Back in the workroom, Vera attacked the wall safe with a vengeance, finally getting control and changing her attack to a methodical search of the room and all the desks and cupboards for the combination.