Chapter 19: Four to Four

The board met at nine on Tuesday, on the thirtieth floor of the Holloway Grand.

In the lift Rafe straightened his cuffs, and I fixed his tie.

"Whatever happens in there," he said low, "tonight I'm taking you apart on that boardroom table."

"After the vote."

"During, if you look at me like that."

The doors opened.

Nine board members sat around a long oval table.

Jarrett sat on the left with his lawyer behind him.

Lorna sat at the far end with her cane across her knees, and she did not look at either of us.

The surgeon who chaired the board tapped his water glass.

"The only item is the motion on the table," he said. "Mr. Holloway, would you like to be present?"

"I would."

"Then sit."

The lawyer read Jarrett's motion in a smooth voice.

"The president has acted erratically. He is fixated on ceilings and rigs. He cannot be left in charge of two thousand employees."

He opened his folder.

"I submit a letter from a licensed psychiatrist."

He read it aloud.

It used the words delusional disorder and auditory hallucination.

It quoted the old police report where a young man named Holloway said a voice had warned him about a streetlight.

Nobody at the table looked at Rafe.

I looked at him.

He sat very straight with his hands on the table.

"May I ask a question?" I said.

"Mrs. Holloway is not a member," the lawyer said.

"She is my wife," Rafe said. "And I'm a member. I yield my time."

The chair nodded.

"Where did your doctor examine Mr. Holloway?" I asked.

"At length, the letter says."

"In which room?"

The lawyer opened his mouth and shut it.

Keep reading free with an account. Start The System Admitted Its Mistake, So I Offered Him a Divorce from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.