Free Aces and Knaves by Alan Cook

I had become interested in the stock market, but I hadn’t made the connection to James. I said, “Oh,” in a noncommittal manner because officially I wasn’t interested in business.
    My father continued, “He is a billionaire several times over. Since our stock has gone down he has been buying it on the open market. I know because he has to file SEC reports. He owns at least five percent of Dionysus, but I suspect he's probably buying it as we speak, because it plunged at the opening today."
    "Do you know what his objective is?" Arrow asked.
    "His objective is to gain a controlling interest in Dionysus and then kick me out."
    Arrow and I looked at each other with our mouths open, not knowing what to say. Had I been cavorting with the enemy?
    "You started Dionysus," Arrow said, "and built it to what it is now. Anybody who wants to get rid of you is an idiot."
    My father smiled slightly and said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Arrow, but your job isn't in jeopardy. James and I go way back; we've never liked each other. He thinks he could grow Dionysus faster without me. Maybe he's right."
    "But if Buchanan feels that way," I said, "why would Ned be friendly with him?"
    "Ned is Ned. He and Buchanan also go back a long way, all the way to Scotland, in fact, where they grew up together. Maybe he was hoping to get the top spot when Buchanan took over."
    "Ned would never have betrayed you," Arrow said, flatly.
    "I hope that's true. Now we'll never know."
    I had been doing some calculating in my head, based on information I had read in the last Dionysus annual report. I said, "You and Ned together control over fifty percent of Dionysus stock. Without your consent, Buchanan can't gain a majority interest."
    "But now Ned's out of the picture. Elma is the owner of his stock."
    I realized how upset my father was about Ned because he didn’t show any surprise at my knowledge about the stock.
    "Do you think Elma would sell out?" Arrow asked.
    My father shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows? You've seen her financial acumen. But it might actually make sense for her to sell. We don't pay dividends and she needs income to support herself and the children. Growth in capital isn't enough for her. Although, recently, the growth in the stock price has been negative."
    "I'll have a better idea of her finances in a few days," Arrow said.
    My father turned to me and said, "Karl, I want to thank you for your help. Of course I didn't...expect things to turn out as they did."
    "I haven't given you my report on Ned," I said. "After talking to him and to Buchanan..."
    "I'm sure Buchanan identified you as my son..."
    "Possibly, although he didn't mention it. Wait—he said to convey his sympathy to you. I asked him about Ned's gambling. He said recent events had given him reason to think that Ned might be compulsive, but he didn't elaborate."
    "He might have been trying to create a rift between us."
    "All right, we'll discount Buchanan, especially since he seems to like to play games. I talked to a young man who works for him named Stan, who knew Ned, and he didn't think that Ned was much of a gambler at all. I got the same idea from talking to Ned, himself."
    "How do you explain what I saw in the casino?" Arrow asked.
    "I don't know."
    "Well, anyway, the question is academic now," my father said, "unless he squandered a lot of money. Arrow will find that out." He extended his hand to me. "Thanks again, Karl. Have you met John?"
    "Yes, Arrow introduced us when we came in."
    "Excellent. Get an expense form from John on your way out. We'll cover your expenses plus an extra thousand for your time. Incidentally, you and John should have a lot in common."
    He had said that before. Arrow looked as if she was about to say something. I stared her into silence. I got up, formally shook her hand and said, "It's been nice working with you."
    She looked surprised and said, "I'll drive you home."
    I turned to my father and said, "Dad, if you'll let me borrow