conspiracy, and that no one department had a completely clean record.
When he had first come to the Richmond, Abel had wondered why the manager, Desmond Pacey, hadn't noticed what had been going on under his nose a long time before. He wrongly assumed the reason was that the man was lazy and could not be bothered to follow up complaints. Even Abel was slow to catch on to the fact that the lazy manager was the masterinind behind the entire operation, and the reason it worked so well. Pacey had worked for the Richmond group for over thirty years. Mere was not a single hotel in the group in which he had not held a senior position at one time or another, which made Abel fearful for the solvency of the other hotels. Moreover, Desmond Pacey was a personal friend of the hotels' owner, Davis Leroy. The Chicago Richmond was losing over thirty thousand dollars a year, a situadon Abel knew could be redeemed overnight by firing half the staff, starting with Desmond Pacey. `that posed a problem, because Davis Leroy had rarely fired anyone in thirty years. He simply tolerated the problems, hoping that in time they would go away.
As far as Abel could see, the Richmond hotel staff went on stealing the hotel blind until they reluctantly retired.
Abel knew that the only way he could reverse the hotel's fortunes was to have a show - down with Davis Leroy, and to that end, early in 1928, he boarded the express train from Illinois Central to St. Louis and the Missouri Pacific to Dallas. Under his arm was a two - hundred page report which he had taken three months to compile in his small room in the hotel annex. By the time he bad finished reading through the mass of evidence, Davis Leroy sat staring at him in dismay.
These people are my friends,' were his first words as he closed the dossier. 'Some of them have been with me for thirty years. Hell, there's always been a little fiddling around in this business, but now you tell me they've been robbing me blind behind my back?'
'Some of them, I should ffiin~ for all of those thirty years,' said Abel.
'What in hell's name am I going to do about it?' said Leroy.
'I can stop the rot if you remove Desmond Pacey and give me carte blanche to sack anyone who has been involved in the thefts, starting tomorrow.'
'Well now, Abel, I wish the problem was as simple as that!
'The problem is just that simple,' said Abel. 'And if you won't let me deal with the culprits, you can have my resignation as of this minute, because I have no interest in being a part of the most corruptly run hotel in America!
'Couldn't we just demote Desmond Pacey to assistant manager? Then I could make you manager and the problem would come under your control!
'Never,' replied Abel. 'Pacey has over two years to go and has a firm hold over the entire Richmond staff, so that by the time I get him in line yo&ll be dead or bankrupt, or both, as I suspect all of your other hotels are being run in the same cavalier fashion. If you want the trend reversed in Chicago, you'll have to make a firm decision about Pacey right now, or you can go to the wall on your own. Take it or leave it.'
'Us Texans have a reputation for speaking our mind, Abel but we're sure not in your class. Okay, okay, I'll give you the authority. As of this minute congratulations. You're the new manager of the Chicago Richmond.
Wait till Al Capone hears you've arrived in Chicago; he'll join me down here in the peace and quiet of the great South - west. Abel, my boy,'
continued Leroy, standing up and slapping his new manager on the shoulder, 'don't think I'm ungrateful. You've done a great job in Chicago, and from now on I shall look upon you as my right - hand man. To be honest with you Abel, I have been doing so well on the Stock Exchange I haven't even noticed the losses, so thank God I have one honest friend.
Why don't you stay overnight and have a bite to eat?'
'I'd be delighted to join you, Mr. Leroy, but I want to spend the night at the Dallas Richmond for personal reasons!
'You're not going to let anyone off the hook, are you, Abel?'
'Not if I can help it.'
Chapter 16
That evening