Sidney Sheldon

The Best Laid Plans


Скачать книгу

They don’t realize how important you pressmen are to our newspaper.’

      He was studying her, puzzled. ‘But if they voted you down, how can we …?’

      ‘The only reason they voted me down is that they’re not taking your union seriously. If you want to avoid a long strike, and maybe the death of the paper, you have to show them you mean business.’

      ‘How do you mean?’

      Leslie said nervously, ‘What I’m telling you is very confidential, but it’s the only way that you’re going to get what you want. The problem is simple. They think you’re bluffing. They don’t believe you mean business. You have to show them that you do. Your contract is up this Friday at midnight.’

      ‘Yes …’

      ‘They’ll expect you just to quietly walk out.’ She leaned forward. ‘Don’t!’ He was listening intently. ‘Show them that they can’t run the Star without you. Don’t just go out like lambs. Do some damage.’

      His eyes widened.

      ‘I don’t mean anything serious,’ Leslie said quickly. ‘Just enough to show them that you mean business. Cut a few cables, put a press or two out of commission. Let them learn that they need you to operate them. Everything can be repaired in a day or two, but meanwhile, you’ll have scared them into their senses. They’ll finally know what they’re dealing with.’

      Joe Riley sat there for a long time, studying Leslie. ‘You’re a remarkable lady.’

      ‘Not really. I thought it over, and I have a very simple choice. You can cause a little damage that can be easily corrected, and force the board to deal with you, or you can walk out quietly and resign yourself to a long strike that the paper may never recover from. All I care about is protecting the paper.’

      A slow smile lit Riley’s face. ‘Let me buy you a cup of coffee, Mrs Chambers.’

      ‘We’re striking!’

      Friday night, at one minute past midnight, under Joe Riley’s direction, the pressmen attacked. They stripped parts from the machines, overturned tables full of equipment, and set two printing presses on fire. A guard who tried to stop them was badly beaten. The pressmen, who had started out merely to disable a few presses, got caught up in the fever of the excitement, and they became more and more destructive.

      ‘Let’s show the bastards that they can’t shove us around!’ one of the men cried.

      ‘There’s no paper without us!’

      ‘We’re the Star!’

      Cheers went up. The men attacked harder. The press-room was turning into a shambles.

      In the midst of the wild excitement, floodlights suddenly flashed on from the four corners of the room. The men stopped, looking around in bewilderment. Near the doors, television cameras were recording the fiery scene and the destruction. Next to them were reporters from the Arizona Republic, the Phoenix Gazette, and several news services, covering the havoc. There were at least a dozen policemen and firemen.

      Joe Riley was looking around in shock. How the hell had they all gotten here so fast? As the police started to close in and the firemen turned on their hoses, the answer suddenly came to Riley, and he felt as though someone had kicked him in the stomach. Leslie Chambers had set him up! When these pictures of the destruction the union had caused got out, there would be no sympathy for them. Public opinion would turn against them. The bitch had planned this all along

      The television pictures were aired within the hour, and the radio waves were filled with details of the wanton destruction. News services around the world printed the story, and they all carried the theme of the vicious employees who had turned on the hand that fed them. It was a public relations triumph for the Phoenix Star.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD//gA7Q1JFQVRPUjogZ2QtanBlZyB2MS4wICh1c2luZyBJSkcg SlBFRyB2NjIpLCBxdWFsaXR5ID0gOTAK/9sAQwADAgIDAgIDAwMDBAMDBAUIBQUEBAUKBwcGCAwK DAwLCgsLDQ4SEA0OEQ4LCxAWEBETFBUVFQwPFxgWFBgSFBUU/9sAQwEDBAQFBAUJBQUJFA0LDRQU FBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQU/8AAEQgDyAJY AwEiAAIRAQMRAf/EAB8AAAEFAQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAABAgMEBQYHCAkKC//EALUQAAIBAwMCBAMF BQQEAAABfQECAwAEEQUSITFBBhNRYQcicRQygZGhCCNCscEVUtHwJDNicoIJChYXGBkaJSYnKCkq NDU2Nzg5OkNERUZHSElKU1RVVldYWVpjZGVmZ2hpanN0dXZ3eHl6g4SFhoeIiYqSk5SVlpeYmZqi o6Slpqeoqaqys7S1tre4ubrCw8TFxsfIycrS09TV1tfY2drh4uPk5ebn6Onq8fLz9PX29/j5+v/E AB8BAAMBAQEBAQEBAQEAAAAAAAABAgMEBQYHCAkKC//EALURAAIBAgQEAwQHBQQEAAECdwABAgMR BAUhMQYSQVEHYXETIjKBCBRCkaGxwQkjM1LwFWJy0QoWJDThJfEXGBkaJicoKSo1Njc4OTpDREVG R0hJSlNUVVZXWFlaY2RlZmdoaWpzdHV2d3h5eoKDhIWGh4iJipKTlJWWl5iZmqKjpKWmp6ipqrKz tLW2t7i5usLDxMXGx8jJytLT1NXW19jZ2uLj5OXm5+jp6vLz9PX29/j5+v/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A /Kyim8+9OHSgApV60g5IHrT8beO/rQAAkHjrTwA33qavWlRxu+YbqTIkWEXeanhBRjUUZAPDGr1r GX6DcD3Ncs3Y5JtLcda3Dq+FJFX4XkZD8mSOcimww7F2KM5OSfSr62ATgckiuOUkzzak4jrS8aIF dxVByMdc1oWTEzoWhXC87nqC3hK7YtobJzWnY2hV0kkTcmcfL1asjy6s4llbJ5GBkZXWQZ3qeVrW 0vTjCFke3cwn7jHv71FbWZv5uSBbg5J+6Wrr7OECAPFuVYkACsc96nmPncViXGPKZcU0VlI481t7 D5igORWgP7PMMcURd3fuRhs1WnjuJL55Su1VXog5p09lcyvCU2+WRkBjhlOOtZN3dzznZq99TR+x jyg0hPnJ03dh71TnkmeFgJXhYdGU8Ve09tksQZy82MEuODT/ACrdbqZUYyzA4wBwDUt2ORVHBtmN o1hDDHK8xkk2jCAjANXIZvKyOrE4Hlc81sWcEaTSmRGdkBAQkYpkGk7cXEe5pFbCRqowCepPNRzD nV9pJ8xk39vf6zIkVtlpXYiZyMYGAMZ+lZ9ppOElQLI/lpuYO+Bnpxz710089xATC8TFQxLSKMF2 x/kfhWY9rOVS5kjLRk/Mw6AelClrqa060+XkWxntqqaZbWoOTK2U2BuRVxJSZBPdIscZi/eMfmzV 220y31OFvNiYs4P3FHyjsc1CdBNr5cKTfald9zAjAA9DVc8TROlLdWY+zijMxm+ylpooy+/tt7f0 pYbtYbpCjx3LIvzENjaPTn3q5cXUdupXTU23LDa8jocAf7uf61lNYtJDIXwY2OMqu1nf/Co5ub4m YxgqnxGxZEX9wzvLHK2NzTKNxU9lz9MVDcLdi5RUQN5z7xK6dOP0q14eSHT4IrdLRo5EO5pZASrn /Zx+X4V1VtpUMF0zwq5mePI809OR04rOVdQ924vYuMmo7HIXlr5VuJ5dkkw4WU/MEqpZsLy7gZUa XG0EqVB/Dmu8n8OyXCwxXB8osxJKnOePTFclL4Qawu7qJr+WRUO4IseD+eayjiIPcIU3Z3GXbzCU PIoaRjgSk5JFSeTG0KLKhL7t0iZyWPYj8KtQ24ZHh8pwkmFBcYKqO/6VqaXoJu9OlmUiEAqihuSV 55qvbU+hxcso7Iw7h1im3GVdijbt6Muf/wBdXBYGdi4D4MWUlxjJ9KmHhG5890hKyxE7Wkxz9a2r Dw+DbeVvJjiyS78knB6VLrRRlUg4+pwwhXPkTnawfdtYfeqNncsTcII7dOIcV02q6PcTSwTACa2P CEfeyOuaz7nSjPcZWJVUDG01tTqRmhqqtmZdpbQvLH5k3lxEbiWHzE1JeyPqOcblVF2pxuJH9K27 rw5NFFv8lYwijI3ZJpDpf2YxeWhRTncMdanniT7ZGdpVu62rIxDSFdoAPOMn8qz7zS4vt5LL50i4 xv65rYGn+ezld0CAklwepqgkk887uzhWHAJXn61cJLoXTm03JPctwwtDaSKWVp9wIEY4UVbB80JG qEtjk07T5t8bpJtROvIwWNX4RFaJv3lie2MfrWMpanDUqSu0zK1TTo7iKVFR1O0E4qOSyiltxErv 5YTGR1rXtZYnuGxGACpUiniyKx+R5eEcfeJ5/CpVTlKjUkopHnkVmsNy8T5ltgC4WTqWrb0bR2Li XyUSFlztBANaMmjpHO3kQExoMMznnNWHiuLR47pQAoXAXPrxWvtvdsdtXFOpHlRUlt1ijlNuQ8Mg 6Nxg/WudayknZHukjkAGFUOG4Fdk1gt0iYZY48EuR2NU7XSSsn2h2BhiJHTqKIVCKNZxizCTRYzb z25bzLON9rRyLyp9hVZJF0qxeKPMMbydff6Vp2Phi/uNUF210FG9m2OckYz1o1zSpL2e2VEUPIzA MvQ4xzXRzxO5VVzqEpXT3Oe1K9mvJfLmDy+Vjb5KfeHqapSmfXY47LY4nd+42KFHv61rRWFzHfFZ o3VMYaRelNvIyim8cGBz8sduByh9fyzWicT0YSjDSK9CCxhFnfNE+VhRNrKeQTUF5LLJdTKpLRKF 2Kn0pbEK63Us6ypOdnlyP8oA+bOR37VG9xHBfwo3zjaCzjg1orW0L5Wp3fY1LNUJkaNPJmU4aIcg DIqe4YTTRr+8nnX+FV2gD3NV7eYRpcBRK0j7Q5GOORVPUbx7UqAHjMi7WaQ5P1GKyZyqDlMoa3OI /OhS2aVgduCuFB6/j1qxp0cIti07fZbl48pJu+QEEHnFV4rhXtZGmiBVvljck7j71LpdlZi4ZXkd pox8kDLlT9ea1Wx6Umo0+V9Buk2Jvrmd2CCdBzNjCuCfWrksX2Z5VDbGDfuyPl5+tarTx3MbGCYL OcKVVNgAGeO9ctfR3T6ivnTeeQcsp6fpSOaEnWm23ZImlv0m8yCH50kPMrx8Cq13lh5bRpcHjfKq 4X8K606bB/ZaSCHLHG5cVkXUEiI6fZg6nometKMgpV4N2iZEulS3VzI1sV8lYwMbs49qj1TThayL vmZYwM7OeD2rStSltHJ+5Am3bthbGPpU2sMt8fNKthyMg8gnOMVTlqdSryjUV9jgby3nmn3uBuB2 5B6+9ZdxaNLckj/Vp0Nd2/hd7Vy5nQu+QIgD8q1nXWlPGhCoiIOuIyc/rVqWh7lPGU72izN8O+ML zw4bi3e3W+sZOJrSXow9R796tXen+DfEg/0PVzo9yeTDdxsFU+gOMVm3NqwugDIpJbD5HBrLu9NQ yMxjMi9Oelaxmup9Xhs0/d+zrLmiacvw9KOCuu