Willie nodded.
"He's smarter than I took him for," Tesno muttered. "He's not going to let you be the big duck in the puddle."
"I th-think Miss Persia t-told him to close those games," Willie said thoughtfully. "Or S-Sam Lester. Madrid d-don't t-take a deep breath unless somebody tells him. Anyhow, he and Pinky had a m-meeting with Miss Persia and Lester the d-day after you left. Stella t-told me."
"Who really calls the tune, Willie? Sam or Persia? What does Stella say about it?"
Willie frowned painfully. "It s-seems like there's s-somebody else. S-somebody who t-tells them all what to d-do."
"Stella said that?"
"She says there's s-somebody mysterious whose name is never mentioned when she's around. They c-call him 'Mr. You-know' or s-something like that. Sam Lester c-contacts him, Stella thinks."
Tesno found Ben sitting behind his desk in his nightshirt, sleepily staring at a paper covered with figures. When he saw Tesno, he snatched off his glasses and tipped back in his chair.
"You sure took your time. Is the news good or bad?"